North Routt Community Charter School board faces community backlash over firing of Head of School
The termination of North Routt Community Charter School Head of School Dan Kohler has raised concerns and frustration throughout North Routt, with parents, staff and local residents objecting to both the rationale behind Kohler’s removal and how it was handled.
Kohler provided a statement to the Steamboat Pilot & Today on Wednesday afternoon.
“I have poured my heart and soul into educating the future generations of Routt County’s children for the past 20 years. Eleven of those years were spent at North Routt Community Charter School,” he wrote. “As a teacher and school leader, I worked tirelessly and intentionally to provide an inclusive space where students could push their comfort zones and develop.”
“I was recently terminated unjustly from the head of school position at NRCCS,” he continued. “As the school leader, I certainly made mistakes but I was always willing to accept responsibility and learn. School is where mistakes should be honored and treated as an opportunity.”
“When mistakes are treated with punitive actions, we shut down a human’s ability to grow,” he added. “Please know that I acted professionally and ethically throughout my tenure at NRCCS. I would never shy away from a difficult conversation or a tough situation. These are what make us stronger.”
On Wednesday evening, the board sent out a new statement to local community members announcing that three of its members had resigned.
“Board President Kim Smith, Board Secretary Jenn Clements and Board Treasurer Elizabeth Wegner have stepped down from their roles, effective Nov. 11, 2025,” said the board in the statement. “Each has stepped down for individual, personal reasons — one had already planned to resign, and two others are stepping away to care for their families.”
“Susie Wyman, a local resident and retired teacher, was elected to serve on the board during the September 2025 meeting and will also be sworn in to replace the planned resignee,” the board stated. “There are no immediate plans to replace the remaining two seats as the board plans to revisit how its members are selected.”
A board meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 17 at 4:30 p.m. to elect a new president, secretary and treasurer, the statement added.
During the education board’s Nov. 5 meeting, dozens of community members participated in an emotional discussion about the leadership shakeup.
Board Secretary Clements characterized Kohler’s termination as “a culmination of several infractions that have occurred over time” rather than a reaction to any single incident. The board emphasized that its decision was made with “consultation with multiple lawyers and HR teams.”
Audience members pressed the board for clarity at the meeting, with one individual questioning whether the change stemmed from a safety issue.
“There is no safety concern,” a board member replied. “There were liability issues that arose due to performance.”
Despite assurances, many attendees expressed growing frustration with the board’s reluctance to elaborate on the liability issues. Community members repeatedly demanded a more specific explanation, “out of respect for Dan (Kohler),” while objecting to what they described as undue vagueness.
“You need to tell this group of people what happened, because you guys are just blowing smoke right now,” said one individual.
Responding to mounting pressure, board members outlined “three major incidents … amongst other judgment calls and performance issues” that led to Kohler’s termination: the acquisition of a liquor license for a school fundraiser, the removal of religious post-its in a manner the board considered a First Amendment violation, and a personnel issue.
“In preparing for the Fall Fest, we obtained a liquor license. The information on the liquor license was incorrect,” explained a board member. “The mere fact the liquor license was given to the school, by approval, put the school in jeopardy. We could’ve lost our charter.”
Many community members countered that Kohler had obtained the license in accordance with the law and pointed out it was never actually used at the fundraiser, with some arguing that the infraction merited at most a reprimand — not termination.
While board members confirmed the license remained unused, they maintained that seeking it constituted a violation of school policy, which strictly prohibits liquor on school grounds.
The board described the second incident in two parts: the removal of Post-It notes with religious undertones in both the school bathroom and in a student locker.
“It’s over Post-It notes?” said an audience member. “That’s absurd.”
“From what has been shared publicly, it appears that Mr. Kohler acted within his professional and legal responsibilities as a principal by removing overtly religious materials from shared school spaces, ensuring our public, non-religious institution remains welcoming to students of all faiths and backgrounds,” said an attendee.
“This action aligns with the legal expectations of any public school leader under the First Amendment’s establishment clause,” the attendee added.
Board members again cited the legal consultation they received in justifying the termination.
Addressing the personnel matter, a board member said, “About a week-and-a-half, two weeks ago, there was an incident between a teacher and a student, an investigation was conducted on that issue, and it was not properly conducted according to school policy and procedure.”
“That puts the teacher at risk, it created a health scare, it put the child at risk, and generally speaking, these are unacceptable,” they added.
Further details about the personnel issue were withheld by the board.
“Three huge issues in 53 days. How many days are there until Christmas? There could’ve been three more issues until then,” remarked a board member, prompting strong reactions from the audience.
Questions also arose regarding the board’s process, particularly the perceived abruptness and lack of advance notice — drawing comparisons to “firing the coach mid-season.” Board members responded that the decision followed a long period of deliberation.
Board President Smith addressed community concerns regarding leadership continuity.
“As much as we would’ve loved to have a replacement in the chair on Wednesday, we couldn’t even begin the process until then to talk to people. Now that it has occurred, we are looking for that full-time interim person to come into place,” she said.
“The first thing that we have done is we have asked Carlie (Pedrini, operations manager) to be our administrative point person until we get that interim person in place,” she continued. “We’ve engaged with professional recruiters and we are seeing what they can find for us in this role.”
“We are also working with the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and they have us in contact with several people,” Smith added.
One attendee summarized feelings seemingly shared by many in the room.
“We’re feeling blindsided. While I totally understand protocol … it was not handled well,” the attendee said. “The lack of communication and the lack of care put forth to prepare and support the students and staff is incredibly disappointing and honestly, not acceptable.”
“My son was confused, he was scared, angry and frustrated, because there was no plan in place to support the kids that morning, and nothing done to support staff,” the attendee continued. “I’m having a hard time trusting the board with the kids’ hearts and futures.”
Board members acknowledged communication missteps but repeatedly defended their decision, maintaining that unresolved liability issues could threaten the school’s future.
The above sentiment was echoed by other residents, not only throughout the 90-minute meeting, but also in nearly a dozen letters sent to the Steamboat Pilot & Today supporting Kohler and criticizing the board’s decision and process.
Despite repeated requests by the newspaper since Wednesday, Nov. 5 for additional details about Kohler’s termination, NRCCS board members have declined to elaborate beyond the board’s general statement.
“Like any employer, we cannot discuss personnel matters with anyone, but can say definitively that proper procedures were followed regarding this termination,” said Sarah Barr, NRCCS board vice president, in a statement to the newspaper on Wednesday.
Liz Kirt, NRCCS parent and member of the School Accountability Committee, announced the committee’s intention to formally request records from the school “to promote transparency,” in hopes of gaining access to documentation explaining recent board decisions.
The interim head of school job posting was listed online on Tuesday morning.
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