The outgoing members of the Douglas County School District board spent their final meeting on Tuesday debating a last-minute proposal to amend charter school contract renewal timelines.

The current board also discussed – but took no action on a proposal dealing with transgender athletes.

Progressive-leaning members are set to take over the conservative board in about two weeks.

Tuesday’s meeting, which took place after the Nov. 4 election that brought four new progressive-leaning directors to the school body, lasted more than seven hours.

Christy Williams, the outgoing DCSD board president, had introduced both proposals.

The board narrowly rejected the proposal to change the renewal process for “high performing charters” from a five-year to a 10-year interval on a 4-3 vote. Board member Tim Moore initially appeared to favor the proposal, though he was on the fence over legal concerns. He ultimately voted “no.”

Under the proposed charter school change, schools up for renewal would automatically receive 10 additional years without submitting paperwork or undergoing review. Charters would still be subjected to a review at five years.

Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, Williams told The Denver Gazette the resolution arose out of a request “brought forward by one of our longstanding charters.”

“I did not realize how divisive the charter topic is,” said Moore, who made the deciding vote.

The people who showed up were split, although the majority of people who testified spoke against the proposal.

“The idea that a sitting board should handcuff future, elected officials because they might ask harder questions about accountability is the opposite of good governance. That is not protection. That’s entrenchment,” said Lori Wright, a parent.

Miles Cortez, board chair of the Challenger to Excellence Charter School, said there has been misinformation about the proposal.

“This resolution doesn’t change anything with respect to monitoring, oversight, accountability. Nothing in that regard changes,” Cortez said.

Cortez argued that longer renewal terms provide financial flexibility, allowing for a better management of school resources.

As for claims of lack of accountability, Cortez said charters “have more accountability and oversight and do more reporting than the neighborhood schools.”

“It frankly should’ve been done already,” Cortez said of the proposal. “We are here because we have to be.”

TRANSGENDER ATHLETES

The outgoing members urged the next board to continue discussions into transgender policy.

Williams said she hopes the new board would “survey our district and talk to our parents about this very topic, because I think it is extremely important.”

“I believe that we have a duty to protect young women in our schools,” Williams said. “This includes their right to compete on a fair playing field and access safe sex specific spaces like locker rooms and overnight accommodations.”

The proposed policy said biological men shouldn’t compete against women and vice versa because of men’s natural physical advantages.

“In situations where the sexes are not similarly situated, valid sex-based classifications can help preserve the dignity, safety, and opportunities of each sex,” the proposal said.

“Schools across the country and in Colorado are ignoring this reality and allowing men and boys to compete against women and girls,” the proposal added. “This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”

Critics of the proposal called the prohibition on transgender athletes discrimination.

“If we have a student or an athlete who’s uncomfortable in a bathroom, who is uncomfortable in a locker room, first of all, I bet it’s our trans kids,” Brad Geiger, a board member, said.

Williams, Moore, Becky Myers and Kaylee Winegar’s terms on the shcool board are expiring. Meanwhile, Geiger, Susan Meek and Valerie Thompson will continue to serve on the board. On Nov. 4, Douglas County voters picked Clark Callahan, Kelly Denzler, Kyrzia Parker and Tony Ryan for the four open seats on the seven member board. All four ran on a progressive platform.

Thompson thanked fellow board members for “recognizing trans children actually exist tonight.”

“I know that there’s a lot of rhetoric around protecting girls that focuses on fears, rather than solutions,” Thompson said. “I also want to address some of the other threats to fairness in girls’ sports, including lack of access, lack of funding, and outdated perceptions that girls are not athletically equal to boys.”

Meanwhile, Rob White, a spokesperson for the Colorado High School Activities, said each school and district should consult with their legal counsel to “interpret the potential impacts and anticipated outcomes of federal directives within their unique contexts.”

“It is important to note that CHSAA’s bylaws have never mandated specific actions for our member schools,” he said. “Rather, they reflect the rights afforded under both federal and Colorado state law and are designed to align with existing legal protections for all students.”

9NEWS, a Denver Gazette news partner, contributed to this report.