Sue’s Vision/Mission
For the Future of Woodland Park Education
Our focus needs to be on preparing children to be positive, prosperous Americans by teaching critical thinking skills that they’ll need to be great leaders for tomorrow. Sue’s mission is to be a voice for parents and teachers, while ALWAYS putting students first. She feels that we are called to empower and equip the next generation for success. You can read more about Sue’s platform issues here & more on her life below.
WHO IS SUE PATTERSON?
Sue Patterson is a wife, mom and grandma with over twenty years of experience advocating for people with developmental disabilities, and a 2021 candidate to become the next elected member of the Woodland Park School Board, representing the Summit Elementary School in Woodland Park, Colorado. Sue originally hails from upstate New York, and after high school, went to work for the Department of Defense in Finance and Accounting in both Louisiana and Texas. Later she found her true passion when moved back to New York and began working as Direct Support Staff and later a Roving Residential Supervisor for 20+ residential homes for people with developmental disabilities.
Sue found herself responsible for payroll, staffing, house staff evaluations, and perhaps most importantly, assisting to integrate the residents into their community and making sure they were taught skills to be productive and have a sense of belonging within their home towns. During this time Sue realized that as she assisted others, she herself was developing what would become a lifelong passion for learning.
As a proud, yet concerned American citizen, after her family relocated to Teller County in 2020, Sue felt a deep moral obligation to serve in the local community by volunteering with non-profit organizations like Phoenix Project, Choices, and the Kiwanis Club. The aforementioned passion for learning also led her to become interested in how students in Woodland Park were being prepared for success to become tomorrow’s leaders.
She discovered that many parents simply didn’t know what a local school board does, and were unaware that new and questionable curriculums were being handed down from the federal and state level. On the other hand, many teachers felt that with parental involvement dwindling, their own voices and input were also being diminished. At the same time they were being tasked with more responsibilities but getting no additional support. And in the middle of all of this, there were the students, who had the most to lose.
What was especially evident to her was that people in Teller County love the students, and are united to help them succeed. It was then that the idea of lending a hand and serving in an official capacity began to take shape. Sue’s mission is to be a voice for parents and teachers, while ALWAYS putting students first. She feels that we are called to empower and equip the next generation for success. You can read more about Sue’s platform issues here (insert link for Sue on the Issues)
Before moving to Colorado, Sue and her late husband Bill owned an equine boarding facility and operated an equestrian riding camp for many years, with an emphasis on teaching children how to ride, love, and care for their mounts. After Bill passed away in 2010 following a 10-year battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Sue was blessed to find true love a second time when she met and fell in love with her husband Ray Patterson, who also lost his soul mate to breast cancer. Together, they moved to Teller County in 2020. Sue and Ray have a blended family of 4 children, 14 grandchildren, and currently reside in the Woodland Park School District in Teller County with their dog, Winter.
SUE ON COMMITMENTS AND ISSUES
PUTTING CHILDREN FIRST
This is something that we can all agree on, but we may have differing opinions of what this looks like in practice. Our focus needs to be on preparing children to be positive, prosperous Americans by teaching critical thinking skills that they’ll need to be great leaders for tomorrow. For this to happen our children need to have an understanding of Civics.
John Jay, Founding Father and author of the Federalist Papers famously said: “Every member of the State ought to diligently read and study the Constitution of his country, and teach the rising generation to be free. By knowing their rights, they will sooner perceive when they are violated and be the better prepared to defend and assert them.” When we don’t teach our children about the United States Constitution, they will be neither empowered nor free, but at a grave disadvantage where self-governance is concerned as they enter adulthood, abdicating personal responsibility and looking to the government to parent them.
KEEP DECISION-MAKING LOCAL
We don’t need cookie-cutter solutions that are handed down to us from big government. Our mountain community is unique and needs solutions to come from local parents and teachers who have first-hand knowledge of the day to day events that our students face. We need to bridge the gap between parents, teachers, and students so that each one has a voice, while contributing to and taking ownership of the community’s shared vision for our future.
TRUTH IN THE CLASSROOMS
Revisionist history initiatives like The 1619 Project seek to aggressively indoctrinate young and old alike. Sadly, many children and even adults have been made to feel ashamed of our heritage and are completely ignorant about the fundamental truths that have made America the greatest country in the world. It is imperative that we be aware of and take a stand against agendas meant to rewrite our history, including both our moments of triumph as well as the turbulent periods that resulted in necessary changes to how we govern. We cannot learn from our past and build a better future if we no longer have access to truthful accounts of our history.
FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Having worked for the Depart of Defense in Finance and Accounting, I realize how important transparency is.The community has a right to not just know how money is being allocated, but to have a say in the budget. It is the responsibility of elected officials who serve on the school board to monitor these funds and be accountable to the taxpayers.
Woodland Park School Superintendent Dr. Mathew Neal voiced concerns about the Summit Learning Program at the August school board meeting. I also have concerns from a local and systemic view, is this program harming students, families & teachers?
How much do you know about the “Healthy Kids Survey”? It is a survey that has its roots in the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and it is utilized in many states and schools, typically on the odd numbered years, so 2021 is one of those years.
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