Fort Colllins Coloradoan education reporter Kelly Lyell's top stories of 2023

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Hi, I’m reporter Kelly Lyell. I’ve lived in Colorado for most of my life and began working for the Coloradoan more than 28 years ago, primarily covering sports. I switched my primary coverage area to education last winter, knowing what a big role our schools, K-12 as well as Colorado State University and our community colleges, play in Fort Collins and the surrounding area.

The topics have changed, but my passion for sharing the news and stories that are important to our community have not. I still get to meet new people and learn new things every day and share them with you. That’s an amazing opportunity that I don’t take lightly.

Here are a few of my favorite and most-impactful stories of 2023:

What we know about Poudre School District’s plans to consolidate schools

Facing declining enrollment and the associated budget reductions, PSD Superintendent Brian Kingsley and his senior leadership team came up with a plan to consolidate a handful of schools and programs. No opportunities were given for public input and the plan was never discussed in public meetings by the Board of Education. As staff and families at impacted schools became aware of the plan, they shared what they knew with us, and we reported it in this story. Following student walkouts and protests by parents, staff and former students, PSD put its plan on hold and announced plans to seek public input, make the process more transparent and delay implementation of boundary changes, consolidations or school closings until at least the 2025-26 school year.

Is Timnath Middle-High School already full, even without any seniors?

That shiny new school, costing more than $150 million, that was built in Timnath to accommodate the area’s rapid growth was bursting at the seams just a year after opening and without any 12th graders, who will be added to the mix in 2024-25. Enrollment projections were obviously too low, and PSD is already looking at building a new middle school in the area to accommodate the growth.

Fact check: What do Poudre School District’s gender-identity policies say?

I’ve never been a fan of writing stories about what other media outlets are reporting but felt it was necessary in this case to separate the fact from fiction of stories by Fox News, the Daily Mail and others suggesting Poudre School District policies and emails “show secret plans to defy parents’ wishes on transitioning their child’s gender.” Regardless of one’s opinion on LGBTQ+, gender-transition and other societal issues, irresponsible reporting designed to rile up rather than inform an audience needs to be called out.

Voter guide: What to know about PSD school board races

My first significant foray into election coverage had me questioning candidates not only about critical issues facing our schools but also hot-button political topics that were being discussed in school board races across the country. My objective was to figure out where candidates in the three contested races for the Poudre School District Board of Education differed from their opponents to help voters determine what mattered most to them as they cast their ballots.

How CSU is replenishing bison on Native American lands with its conservation herd

This one was both interesting and fun. I not only learned about the history and goal of the Laramie Foothills Conservation Herd but also had the chance to discuss the historical importance of bison to the Oglala Lakota Nation and other Native American cultures. Best of all, I was able to view the bison up close with herd manager Matt McCollum while he was spreading hay and feed to get them through the winter in a pasture at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

CSU’s governing board has voted without dissent for at least 12 years. Here’s its process

Having attended more than a dozen meetings of the CSU System Board of Governors since 2012, when discussions of building an on-campus stadium on the Fort Collins campus began, I realized I had never witnessed a proposal by university administrators voted down and rarely was there even a dissenting vote. Additional research through the published minutes of all meetings in the past 12 years confirmed as much. Sure, some proposals were altered or tabled before coming to a vote through discussion by the board, but it would seem there ought to be some instances where a governing board with a statutory requirement to oversee the system chancellor, campus presidents and expenditures of state money might have an occasional objection.

Governors of Colorado, Utah urge civility in politics in ‘Disagree Better’ talk at CSU

The first of several events in CSU’s thematic year of democracy was a good one, bringing together governors of two neighboring states from different political parties with drastically different views to discuss the importance of finding common ground and working together for the common good. One man seated near me in the audience of about 200 suggested the forum should have been held at CSU’s Canvas Stadium, with required attendance of all students, faculty and staff.

Holocaust survivor Sara Moses to share story at CSU that Anne Frank didn’t live to tell

Some stories are too important not to share, and this was one of them. Nobody should ever gloss over the atrocities of the Holocaust, and hearing about the horrors directly from one of the few remaining survivors of the Nazi death camps helps ensure we never will.

No easy fix exists for heat issues in PSD schools, superintendent, school board chair say

It’s easy to dismiss the need for air conditioning in local schools, given that we typically have just a few days or weeks of extreme heat while schools are in session each year. But is it really fair to expect the same academic performance from students and teachers trying to survive in older buildings with 90-degree classrooms as those in new climate-controlled facilities? The costs are prohibitive, but do they outweigh the equity issues?

School choice: What you need to know about options within Poudre School District

With so many different educational models available within PSD, parents have a difficult choice picking what works best for their children. I hope my breakdown of the options available at both neighborhood and district-authorized charter schools helps.

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, twitter.com/KellyLyell or facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Coloradoan education reporter Kelly Lyell's top stories of 2023