New Castle’s Scott Bolitho aims for Garfield Re-2 School Board position amid recall election
In the wake of ongoing educational debates in Garfield County, Scott Bolitho has entered the race for a seat on the Garfield Re-2 School Board, coinciding with the recall election of former board president Tony May set for Aug. 27.
May, who last year pushed for the adoption of the American Birthright Standards (ABS) in the district, stepped down as president in December amid controversy. The board ultimately did not adopt the ABS. May cited his resignation as a move to “lower the political temperature in the boardroom and focus on school business.”
Bolitho is being endorsed by the Coalition for Responsible Education in Re-2, who started a petition to remove May from his seat on the school board in December.
“I felt that there was a political agenda being forced into the school board that didn’t need to be there,” Bolitho told the Post Independent. “School boards are not supposed to be political, and even as a conservative, I felt like this was going too far with the ABS curriculums.”
Bolitho, born in Denver but a lifelong resident of Garfield County, has deep roots in the area. A partner at Glenwood Insurance since 1999, he has seen multiple family members serve in educational roles within the community.
“My grandfather was principal at the Glenwood Elementary School for 30 years, my mom was a school librarian and my brother and sister-in-law were teachers,” Bolitho shared. “Education has been a big part of the family for a long time.”
Bolitho himself has a large family, with two biological sons and eight adopted children, many of whom attended schools in the Re-2 district. He emphasized the importance of community input in educational decisions.
“I just thought something has to change here. Somebody has to get involved,” he said, reflecting on his decision to run.
Regarding the key issues facing the district, Bolitho highlighted the importance of educational quality.
“The biggest issue is always to ensure the highest quality of education for the students,” he said. “I know that every single person is going to say that, but it really is true. The ultimate goal for school districts should be to educate the children in the best possible way with the highest quality education possible. In order to do that, I think that you have to be able to attract and retain teachers financially.”
He stressed the necessity of supporting educators and administrators to provide the best education possible.
“I think that a school board really needs to listen to the administration and to the teachers,” Bolitho added.
Bolitho is also adamant about not implementing the ABS curriculum, criticizing it for limiting students’ educational perspectives.
“I think they should definitely not adopt ABS. We’ve got the state board of education who didn’t endorse it,” he said, aligning his views with broader educational standards. “The ABS, to me, is a very limiting education, and I think it’s not a very all-encompassing education. I’d rather have the students given all points of view in a certain subject or a certain situation, and let them do some critical thinking on their own and then come up with their answers and not just regurgitate the facts of something that’s being taught to them.”
As the recall election approaches, Bolitho remains focused on his campaign, expressing regret over the circumstances but seeing it as a necessary step for the district.
“This recall election is really the last resort for this district,” Bolitho concluded. “There was ample time to change things and make a difference on this board and it just never happened, so here we are. I want to be able to help make a change for this school district.”
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