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2 days ago
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PCA teacher running for seat on Poudre School District Board of Education
Mike Thomas, a teacher at Poudre Community Academy and former member of the Colorado Education Association's Board of Directors, is running for seat on the Poudre School District Board of Education in the November 2025 election. Thomas, 41, is running for the District D seat, representing northwest Fort Collins. Jim Brokish, who currently holds that seat, does not plan to run for reelection. Tom Griggs, who spent most of his professional career teaching teachers, and Coronda Ziegler, a student success manager at Colorado State University, have also announced their candidacy for the District D seat. Board of Education members must reside within the district they represent but are elected by all voters within the school district's boundaries. Thomas taught for 13 years at schools in Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins after getting started on his career in education in a Head Start program in the Seattle area, Thomas told the Coloradoan on May 30. His experience ranges from preschool through high school, primarily in science, mathematics, construction and welding. Thomas took a break from teaching for several years to be a stay-at-home father — he and his wife, Kristen Rasmussen, have two children — and renovate their Fort Collins home before accepting a job two years ago at Poudre Community Academy, one of two alternative high schools in Poudre School District. Concerns over the poor condition of the building that houses PCA prompted him to run for the school board, he said. Thomas waited until the school year was over to announce his candidacy, fully aware of a PSD Board of Education policy that automatically puts district employees running for seats on the school board on an unpaid extended leave of absence until the election. Were he to win the District D seat, that policy reads, Thomas would deem him 'automatically and voluntarily resigned as a District employee' upon taking the oath of office. 'I really love PCA; I don't want to leave it,' Thomas said. 'I made the decision to think about running in January, when we had to walk across the street with all of our students to use the bathroom, because our bathrooms had stopped working for the third time this year.' More: Poudre School District raising pay for teachers, classified employees One of Thomas' primary concerns, he told the Coloradoan, is ensuring the district uses money from the 2024 debt-free schools mill levy to properly maintain, repair and improve its school buildings and other facilities. He would like to help the school district explore the use of solar and geothermal energy in its facilities. Thomas would also like to see the district speed up the implementation of its new elementary school literacy curriculum through professional development opportunities for teachers and expand its use into middle and high schools. 'I'm really happy with what the district is doing at the elementary school level, which is a big change,' Thomas said. 'It has not been implemented as fully as it needs to be; professional development has not been provided as extensively as it needs to be. We need to make it happen a lot faster than what's going on right now.' In addition to serving on the Colorado Education Association's Board of Directors, Thomas said he worked on multiple political-action campaigns and helped two candidates with their races for seats on the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education while living there while his wife, now a climate scientist at CSU, completed post-doctoral work at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Two candidates in other districts have also announced their candidacy for Board of Education seats in the November 2025 election — Sabrina Herrick in District C (northeast Fort Collins) and Andrew Spain in District E (northern and western Larimer County, including Wellington, Red Feather Lakes and Poudre Canyon). Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Mike Thomas running for seat on PSD Board of Education
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2 days ago
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CSU student success manager running for seat on Poudre School District Board of Education
Coronda Ziegler, a student success manager at Colorado State University, is running for a seat on the Poudre School District Board of Education in the November 2025 election. Ziegler is running for the District D seat, representing northwest Fort Collins. Jim Brokish, who currently holds that seat, is not running for reelection. Tom Griggs, who spent most of his professional career teaching teachers, and Mike Thomas, a teacher at Poudre Community Academy, have also announced their candidacy for the District D seat. Board of Education members must reside in the district that they represent but are elected by voters throughout the school district. Ziegler and her husband, Joe, are the parents of three children attending PSD schools. Her primary reason for running, Ziegler said, is 'to make sure that it is a sustainable district that speaks to the needs of all students, families, teachers and so on and so forth, and making sure that we are having broad considerations in the work that we do.' At CSU, Ziegler's job as a senior student success manager focuses on improving the university's graduation and student retention rates and 'developing a good student experience,' she said. More: Poudre School District raising pay for teachers, classified employees 'I help advance our student success efforts across the university in different departments, units, in classrooms and cocurricular activities,' Ziegler told the Coloradoan. 'My ultimate goal is how do students succeed?' Ziegler previously worked in housing and dining services and academic advising roles at CSU, her employer since 2007. She has taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, as well, according to her biographical information on the CSU website. 'I believe I would bring a broad perspective and understanding to the Board of Education,' Ziegler said. 'It's not just a single issue when I think about how we use data to make decisions, and understanding that data is both quantitative and qualitative. 'What does the budget and funding look like? How do we spend our money, and how do we get more funding in the district. I believe I bring some translatable experience that will enhance the board.' Ziegler said she's in her mid-40s while declining to give her precise age. Her husband is the education director for The Family Center/La Familia, a family resource center providing childcare and supportive services focused on the local Latinx community. One of her strengths, Ziegler said, is the ability to have meaningful dialogue and build relationships with people from diverse backgrounds. Ziegler earned a bachelor's degree in general science and master's degree in higher education administration from Fort Hays State in her native Kansas and a doctorate in education and human resource studies from CSU. 'One thing I want to highlight is that I represent a segment of the population that consists of folks who are working day to day raising their children,' Ziegler said. 'The middle-class piece, to me, I think is important. Being in the throes of affordability in Northern Colorado is part of my life every single day, and you need people to talk about that. That's part of a child's experience, too.' Two candidates in other districts have also announced their candidacy for Board of Education seats in the November 2025 election — Sabrina Herrick in District C (northeast Fort Collins) and Andrew Spain in District E (northern and western Larimer County, including Wellington, Red Feather Lakes and Poudre Canyon). Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Coronda Ziegler running for seat on PSD Board of Education
Yahoo
29-05-2025
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Police make arrest in bank robbery that put nearby high school on secure status
Fort Collins police announced the arrest of a suspect in a May 27 bank robbery that put nearby Rocky Mountain High School on secure status for 15 minutes. The suspect was arrested less than two hours after the robbery at ENT Credit Union, 1107 W. Drake Road, was reported, according to Larimer County Sheriff's Office arrest and jail records. The 21-year-old male was taken into custody on felony charges of aggravated robbery, theft of more than $20,000 and three counts of menacing, Fort Collins police said in a May 29 news release. Credit union staff reported a masked man with a firearm had robbed several employees for an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing on foot, the news release said. Officers responding to the call contacted a male near the credit union who matched the general description of the suspect and took him into custody. Detectives executed a search warrant at the suspect's residence, where they 'recovered key evidentiary items,' the news release said. Fort Collins police and the FBI are working jointly on the investigation. The suspect remained in the Larimer County Jail as of 3:30 p.m. May 29. His bond was set at $80,000. His next court appearance was scheduled for June 3. Police are asking anyone with information on the incident who they have not already spoken to contact Detective Al Wilson at 970-416-2923. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime. Coloradoan reporter Kelly Lyell can be reached at KellyLyell@ Follow him on and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Police make arrest in bank robbery that put school on secure status
Yahoo
24-05-2025
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First high school graduating class in Timnath in 65 years sets the tone
They were sophomores, coming from a handful of other high schools in the area, when they first set foot in the new Timnath Middle-High School. It was the fall of 2022, and there were no older students to look up to, only younger ones for them to lead. And they did, figuring things out along the way, Principal Jesse Morrill said, as they established traditions and built a strong sense of belonging that he hopes will never waver. 'Together we built this place with sweat, spirit and with a deep belief that Timnath High School could be something great,' Vince Hochholter said after being recognized as the school's first Class Guide, for his character, leadership and school spirit, classmate MacKenzie Dahmer explained. May 23, Timnath High School celebrated its graduating class of 2025, the first ever for the combined new middle-high school and the first from any Timnath high school in 65 years, during a commencement ceremony at Colorado State University's Moby Arena. More: Wellington turns out in force to celebrate new high school's first graduating class 'I think like we just fully opened the school with this ceremony,' Morrill said. 'It's been kind of a three-year process, adding a grade level each year, continuing to add staff and students to the school. 'But this first class was the group that took the plunge and left their high school where they'd started at and wanted something new. And they've been a part of creating all our traditions and setting the tone for the type of school that we're trying to be.' The 129 new graduates easily dwarfed the previous high of 21 from the final graduating class of the old Timnath High School in 1960, two of those 1960 graduates – Jeanette Rutz and Larry Siegfried – told the Coloradoan. The old high school was closed when the Timnath Consolidated School District merged with several others to form the Poudre School District, and its students were bused to Fort Collins High School. Rutz, a cheerleader and homecoming queen her senior year, and Siegfried, the starting quarterback for the football team, were invited to the 2025 commencement ceremony as special guests and seated on the floor, near the graduates, with two other classmates and Siegfried's wife, Linda. 'We were the last class to graduate, and now we're the first alumni to come back for a graduation from the new school,' Larry Siegfried said. Added Rutz, 'It's nice to be around to still do this.' Creating traditions and setting a standard for the classes that will follow was a common theme from each of the three graduating Cub Leadership Mentors who spoke – Mia Robinson, Kyle Nelson and Dahmer – as well as Morrill, Poudre School District Superintendent Brian Kingsley and Hochhalter. The school's band and orchestra performed, as did the choir. There were also a couple of solo performances by graduating seniors, with Matti Pletcher singing Miley Cyrus' song, 'The Climb," and Ella Petersen singing Stephen Schwartz's, 'For Good.' Then, one row at a time, students walked across the stage as their names were called to receive their diplomas. After the last name was read, Cub Leadership Mentor Kylie Scheidt led the class in the traditional flipping of the tassels on their mortarboards from right to left. Then those caps flew high into the air as the oldest class at Timnath Middle-High School since its opening in August 2022 bid farewell. 'It was definitely a unique experience,' graduating senior Tate Bledsoe said afterward. 'And it was a lot of ups and downs, because you're there trying to look for people to look up to, but they're not there. But it's also good, because you have a lot of younger kids looking up to you. so you can set traditions and values. 'It went by fast, that's for sure. Senior year felt like it just started. We painted our senior (parking) spots, and we're already done. Senior sunset.' Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Timnath graduates first class since 1960
Yahoo
22-05-2025
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Thompson School District hires Bret Heller as its new superintendent
The Thompson School District Board of Education formally hired Bret Heller as the district's new superintendent May 21, with a unanimous 7-0 vote to accept the negotiated terms of his contract. Heller, identified May 7 as the sole finalist among three candidates who came to Loveland for tours and interviews, signed a three-year contract that runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028, district spokesperson Michael Hausmann told the Coloradoan via email. His gross annual salary will be $235,000. Heller is an Idaho native who spent most of his professional career in his home state before accepting his current job as superintendent of the School Town of Munster district in Indiana. He will have served in that role for three years when he leaves at the end of June to begin his new job with the Thompson School District. Heller is replacing Marc Schaffer, who is resigning effective June 30, 2025, after seven years to become superintendent of Community High School District 128 in suburban Chicago near his hometown. Thompson is the 17th-largest school district in Colorado, serving 14,751 students at 32 schools this year, according to the Colorado Department of Education's annual enrollment count. Two of those schools are in south Fort Collins — Cottonwood Plains and Coyote Ridge elementaries. Heller's annual salary is well above the state average for superintendents of $141,986 for the 2022-23 school year, the most recent year available through Colorado Department of Education data, but below what superintendents in 20 other school districts in the state were making that year. Schaffer's 2022-23 salary of $212,956 was No. 25 on that list. Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Bret Heller formally hired as Thompson School District superintendent
