Fighting for Children: School Board Battles and Property Tax Relief

Kim Monson broadcasts from western Wyoming on this October 16, 2023 edition, examining the battle for America’s children in public schools and the fight against crushing property taxes. School board candidate Max Garcia, Task Force Freedom founder Kane, and Lakewood City Councilwoman Mary Janssen share frontline perspectives on protecting families from government overreach.

Marxists in the Schoolhouse

Start listening at 35:42 – Hour 1

Kane pulls no punches in his assessment of government schools. The founder of Task Force Freedom NOCO, a northern Colorado organization fighting critical race theory and gender ideology in schools, argues that Marxists have seized control of the educational power structure. His newly launched website, TaskForceFreedomNoCo.com, catalogs pornographic books found in Poudre, Thompson, and Greeley D6 school libraries.

Kane poses a stark hypothetical to parents: imagine your neighbor teaching your child that whites are oppressors, that your child can identify as an animal or the opposite sex, that they can transition without parental consent, and that they should keep secrets from mom and dad. He then delivers the punch line: that neighbor is your government school. Only two types of people, Kane argues, tell children to keep secrets from their parents: pedophiles and certain school administrators.

Drawing on his Leadership Program of the Rockies education, Kane explains that destroying children’s minds from kindergarten through 12th grade eliminates future innovators and wealth creators, advancing the Marxist agenda. He highlights American Legacy Academy in Windsor and Liberty Commons in Fort Collins as alternatives for families seeking escape from the ideological capture of public education.

“There are two types of people that make this statement, the statement that you don’t have to tell your parents. There are two types of people. One is a pedophile, and the other are some of the government school administrators, educators.”

Kane, Founder, Task Force Freedom NOCO

The Half-Billion Dollar Question in Aurora Schools

Start listening at 16:54 – Hour 1

Max Garcia exposes a troubling reality in Aurora Public Schools: a half-billion-dollar annual budget yet declining proficiency in reading, writing, and math. The conservative Republican running for the Adams/Arapahoe 28J school board describes how cultural leadership teams, social workers, and psychologists have displaced fundamental academics in classrooms across the district’s 13 high schools and their feeder schools.

Garcia, a teacher who returned to public education after coaching at a private Christian academy, recounts the moment he knew he had to run. His twin daughters came home from second grade at Axel Academy needing an explanation of homosexuality after their teacher shared details of her same-sex wedding. That experience prompted Garcia and his wife to move their children to Lutheran High School, but he refuses to abandon other families facing similar situations.

The teachers union has invested $30,000 opposing Garcia’s candidacy, labeling him as someone not to be trusted with children. Garcia, who has raised only $3,000, urges voters to select only one candidate on their ballots to maximize his chances against union-backed opponents. He warns that special interests have replaced families at the center of education policy.

“Last year, I started teaching once again in the public sector… what really spurred me on is seeing what’s going on in the classrooms, Kim, what’s going on in campuses all across our city, state, and even nation.”

Max Garcia, Aurora Public Schools Board Candidate

Lakewood Fights the Property Tax Windfall

Start listening at 71:35 – Hour 2

Mary Janssen represents a rare breed in local government: a reluctant candidate who views herself as an elected representative rather than an elected official. The Lakewood City Councilwoman and co-owner of Jansen Photography has proposed reducing the city’s mill levy from 4.711 to 3.85 to shield residents from the devastating property tax increases coming their way.

Colorado’s massive property revaluations, some reaching 35 to 45 percent, threaten to price longtime residents out of their homes. Janssen points out that if the city takes no action, it will receive a windfall of nearly 24 percent more in property tax revenue. She recalls a colleague dismissing her vote against an $80,000 metal tree sculpture by noting the city is “flush with cash.” That attitude, Janssen argues, betrays the fundamental purpose of representative government.

Janssen urges Lakewood residents to attend the October 23rd city council meeting or submit comments through LakewoodSpeaks.org to demand mill levy reduction. She emphasizes that renters will also feel the pinch as landlords pass along increased property taxes. After this term, Janssen plans to return full-time to her photography business, but she hopes brighter and smarter citizens will step forward to continue the fight.

“I don’t consider myself an elected official. I consider myself an elected representative. And the people need to know what’s going on.”

Mary Janssen, Lakewood City Councilwoman