Teachers, students throw Hail Mary in attempt to overturn cuts eliminating D49 teachers, programs
Michael Logerwell
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Emotions ran high at the D49 special school board meeting Tuesday night. On the docket, the upcoming school budget, as well as Policy JBAA dealing with sex segregated facilities.
At Tuesday’s special board meeting, students, parents, and teachers made one final plea to the board, asking them to reverse their budget cuts and save some of the staff positions and programs that now rest on the other side of the chopping block.
Amid the crowd was a smaller group, attempting to throw one last Hail Mary, one last buzzer beater before time expires.
“It seems like we are getting rid of the people who work with students the most,” said David Jung, a technical education teacher, who received a letter informing him that his position at Horizon Middle School would no longer be needed.
Jung told KRDO13 he speaks with employers to find out what skills kids would need as they enter the workforce, then works to teach those skills to his students. He also runs the school greenhouse, which gives students the opportunity to grow their own food.
It’s a unique feature that he says really resonates with his pupils.
“So often I see students just sitting down there doing worksheets. They’re on a computer. [But] in the greenhouse, we get to go get our hands dirty. We get to do project-based learning. It’s an opportunity that students who, even when they first get into the class, [are] not fully sure what they’re getting into. They always tell me that they were so glad they had that opportunity,” Jung said.
Students spoke too, rallying around the only teacher in the district who offers coding certifications.
“He’s the only person who can do this, a very important job, especially in 2026, where we need coding,” One student said. “And it makes me furious that they cut him.”
It appears those pleas fell on deaf ears. The discussion about the budget was limited tonight. It passed, making those budget and program cuts official.
“It’s not a great day to be a Horizon Panther. I can say that much,” Jung said.
Later in the meeting, after a lengthy back-and-forth discussion, the board repealed Policy JBAA, which they originally passed last fall. You can read more about that policy here.