Molly for CO Kids

09/19/2026

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/88-the-mandy-connell-podcast-26936030/episode/09-15-26-interview---molly-lamar---more-turnover-at-cherry-creek-schools-345347561?cmp=ios_share&sc=ios_social_share&pr=false

MORE TURNOVER AT CHERRY CREEK SCHOOLS What the deuce is going on at the main office at Cherry Creek Schools? The Chief Financial Officer is the latest to hand in....

09/18/2026

As I continue to say…CCSD’s legal counsel, Sonja McKenzie, needs to pack her bags and hit the road. It’s way overdue.

A school district's top lawyer must keep its leaders inside the law.

Yet in 3 of Colorado's largest districts, their lead attorneys have helped board members and administrators evade accountability.

As I write in The Denver Gazette, Jeffco's lawyer is on her way out. Denver's and Cherry Creek's should be next.

🔗 Link in comments 👇

"In three of Colorado’s largest districts, the lawyers meant to keep leaders within the law have helped shield them from scrutiny. Jeffco can have a fresh start. Denver and Cherry Creek families deserve one too."

09/16/2026

Leadership isn’t measured by ribbon-cuttings and photo ops—and it certainly isn't built by scolding the very community you serve. 📢😠

In a recent AdCo meeting, the Interim Superintendent, Jennifer Perry, expressed frustration over internal emails reaching the public, explicitly singling out parent advocates who post updates on social media. She questioned how the district can "rebuild trust" when dissatisfaction is aired publicly rather than kept behind closed doors. 🚪

Let’s be clear: shining a light on district management is not "negative"—it is accountability. 🔦

Calling out parents and community members who demand transparency is a failed strategy. If Jennifer Perry wants to lead this district permanently and genuinely rebuild trust, targeting local advocates who love these schools and live in this community is the wrong move.

Here is what actual leadership looks like:

• Transparency Over Image Control: Trust isn't earned through curated school visits and PR control. It’s earned by being open with taxpayers, even when the truth is uncomfortable.

• Welcome Public Oversight: Parent advocates aren't the enemy. Leaks and public frustration happen when leadership operates in the dark and stakeholders feel ignored.

• Focus on the Root Cause: Instead of demanding silence from staff and criticizing parents for posting online, address the systemic failures causing the dissatisfaction in the first place.

Leadership is not done in secret, and accountability is not an attack. It’s time district leadership stops pointing fingers at parents and starts earning the public’s trust through complete, unvarnished transparency.

We will not be silenced, we will not stop asking hard questions, and we will continue to advocate for our students, teachers, and schools. 🏫✨

09/15/2026

My speech from last night’s CC Board of Education meeting. While we’re happy CFO Scott Smith is leaving, we have some serious questions regarding his departure. And it’s beyond time for Sonja McKenzie, District Legal Counsel, to go.

09/12/2026

SHOW UP MONDAY NIGHT!

📢 CCSD Board of Education Meeting
🗓 Monday night at 7:00 PM
📍 Liberty Middle School
21500 E Dry Creek Rd, Aurora
🔗 Sign up for public comment on the district website and let your voice be heard!

https://cherrycreeksd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_741eTVYFFq1Is3c

09/10/2026

Cherry Creek parents, teachers, and students are taking back our schools. 🛡️

Since the end of January, collective advocacy from parents, staff, and community members has made one thing undeniable: we mean business, and real change is happening.
The executive departures speak for themselves:

•Chris Smith (Former Superintendent)
•Brenda Smith (Former Chief HR Officer)
•Tony Poole (Former Assistant Superintendent)
•Rebecca Lopez (Former Director of neuro-diverse populations)
•Terry Bates (Former BOE Director)
•Ashley Verville (Former Director of Communications)
•Scott Smith (almost Former Chief Financial Officer)

We are making significant progress, but our work is not finished. General Counsel Sonja McKenzie still needs to go to ensure a complete clean break from the past. 🛑

CCSD- you are on notice!!! We will no longer accept underperforming schools, a $23M budget deficit, or a toxic environment for our teachers and students. We are taking back our district and restoring Cherry Creek to the standard of excellence it once held. 🏫✨

NEXT STEP: SHOW UP MONDAY NIGHT!
📢 CCSD Board of Education Meeting
🗓 Monday night at 7:00 PM
📍 Liberty Middle School (21500 E Dry Creek Rd, Aurora)
🔗 Sign up for public comment on the district website and let your voice be heard!

09/09/2026

🚨BREAKING NEWS!🚨
It’s being reported that Scott Smith, the CFO of Cherry Creek Schools, has just resigned…effective October 9th!
Our students and staff are winning!
Bye, Scott! Oh and btw- we want our money back!

09/05/2026

THIS!!!! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Today’s walkout was planned and promoted. It was not just a few students independently deciding to leave class.

Students have the right to express their views. They also have to follow school rules. If they walked out during the school day, the schools should notify parents, record the absences, require the missed work, and apply the same rules they would apply to any other unexcused absence.

I have not heard much from school districts or teachers’ unions condemning the walkout. If they supported it, helped organize it, or simply decided to look the other way, they should say so.

That matters because these same school systems keep coming back to taxpayers for mill-levy overrides, bonds, and other funding increases. Before asking for more money, they should show that they are serious about academics, attendance, and keeping politics out of the classroom.

If school leaders will not enforce their own rules, voters should think twice before approving their next funding request.

08/27/2026

Should school district executives receive massive payouts for unused leave? 💸🏫

Concerns regarding leadership decorum, attendance tracking, and administrative oversight at Cherry Creek School District have reached a boiling point. 🔥❓
Recent departures highlight the scale of the issue:

• Chris Smith (Former Superintendent): Received nearly $165,000 in unused sick and vacation leave payouts following his sudden resignation. 💰💼

• Tony Poole (Former Assistant Superintendent): Received over $190,000 in payouts under his separation agreement. 📄💵

When rank-and-file teachers and school staff face strict attendance rules, large-scale payouts to departing administrators raise serious questions about policy consistency and fiscal responsibility. 🤔

We are expecting that this will be called out in the audit and that the BOE will make policy changes to rein in this problem. Paying district executives HUGE payouts as they leave under accusations of corruption and mismanagement of funds due to a total lack of oversight is not only wrong—it’s offensive. 🛑

It’s time to do better. Guard our tax dollars and protect our students, teachers, and classrooms. We’ve had enough. 🛡️🏫

08/25/2026

Auditing the auditor…
CCSD & Plante Moran
It’s like getting to choose who grades your own homework! 🤨🤦🏼‍♀️

When Cherry Creek School District needed an operational review to rebuild lost trust 📉, they awarded a $250,000 contract 💰 to Plante Moran.

The problem?

Plante Moran has spent years as a vendor and donor within CCSD 🚩:

Sponsoring the Foundation: They frequently donate to district schools 🏫 and sponsored the last Cherry Creek Schools Foundation Gala 🎟️.

Prior Paid Contracts: They’ve already received paid district contracts for technology consulting 💻💼.

Zero Independence: How can a vendor evaluate the very leadership and district operations for whom they regularly fund and consult? 🤔❓

Taxpayers, parents, and staff deserve an audit done by a completely neutral third party—not an existing partner! Conflict of interest!!
When is this nonsense going to stop?!