Garfield Re-2 Technology Director Roger Gose was awarded a statewide award from the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE). The award was announced at the CASE convention on July 29-31 in Breckenridge. 

The CASEY award recognizes a “non-educator” who “has made a significant contribution to education by furthering the mission and vision of CASE in a substantial and/or continuous manner,” according to CASE. 

CASE seeks to empower education leaders throughout Colorado. Its Coordinating Council, which selects the award recipient, unanimously chose Gose. 

The council highlighted his work “helping Colorado school districts navigate the challenges and opportunities surrounding artificial intelligence and his advocacy for public schools as state leaders considered new technology policy,” according to a statement from Garfield Re-2. 

For Gose, the “north star” inspiring and guiding his career in education has been a pursuit of providing equal opportunity to every student, no matter their economic status or school district. 

“Every kid, the affluent kid, and the kid who might even be homeless for a period of time, they deserve the same opportunity, and that’s one thing that’s been critical to what I try to provide,” Gose said. 

He emphasized that point in his remarks while accepting the award.

“A kid in Silt deserves the same shot as a kid in Cherry Creek,” Gose told those attending the CASE convention. 

Gose has worked for Garfield Re-2 since 2004 and previously worked in schools in Leadville and Texas. His interest in technology dates back to high school. 

Gose grew up in Riverton, Wyoming, which was experiencing a serious cash influx from booming oil, gas and uranium mining industries. As a result, the local high school was able to purchase 10 Apple II Plus computers. 

“I’d never seen a personal computer, and I was drawn to them like a magnet,” Gose said. 

Technology has changed drastically since Gose first started teaching himself to code on an Apple II Plus. What once involved understanding a discrete set of technical skills has become something woven into nearly every aspect of education.

“Now it’s ubiquitous,” Gose said. “There’s a game I like to play, and you can think about it too: If you think about public education, and you can use it with really almost any business, and you try to think of one aspect of public education today that doesn’t rely in some way on technology to function.” 

The advent of AI has only accelerated that shift. While Gose sees challenges ahead, he also sees significant opportunities.

“I think it’s going to transform a lot of what we do in education, and it’s not going to be without challenges. It’s already challenging in different respects, but I think it makes me excited. Just the opportunity, the possibility that we have if we do it right,” Gose said. 

Gose’s involvement with AI goes beyond his work in education. 

He served as a member of the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Policy Workgroup, which sought to develop policy focused on “protecting consumers, allowing innovation to thrive, and ensuring that Colorado is not left on an island” according to a statement from Gov. Jared Polis’ office. 

The group’s work laid the foundation for SB26-189, a bill signed by Governor Jared Polis on May 14. The bill is the basis for AI regulation in the state. 

For Gose, the CASEY award represents the culmination of a team effort from his fellow staff and teachers at Garfield Re-2.

“Sometimes the person who gets the award is not necessarily the person who did all the work to get us there,” Gose said.