GILPIN COUNTY - The Gilpin County RE-1 School District hosted a candidates’ forum on October 1, 2025, at the school auditorium. There were approximately thirty people in the audience.

The forum allowed the five candidates vying for three positions on the Board of Education a chance to talk about their qualifications and perspectives on education.

The three positions up for election are split, with one seat for two years to finish Tami Velasquez’s term, and two standard four-year terms.

Gary Duncan and Jill Peterson are running for the two-year term, while Kirsten Goodlett, Brady Fowler, and Victoria Edwards are competing for the two four-year terms.

The forum format consisted of ten questions that had been developed by the current board in conjunction with the Student Council. The candidates had been provided with a copy of the questions prior to the forum.

Student Council President Vincent Schoell and 2026 Senior Class President Elise Vincent moderated the forum.

The forum was structured with the moderators going down the list of questions, and giving each candidate two minutes to give his or her answer.

No questions were taken from the audience. Audience members were advised to ask their questions to individual candidates after the forum was over.

Due to some technical difficulties, the school was unable to record the proceedings for their YouTube Channel.

The first question asked that the candidates introduce themselves and explain their connection with the District and why they want to serve as a board member on the Gilpin RE-1 Board of Education.

Edwards, Goodlett, and Peterson all have children currently attending school in the district and wanted to be more involved in helping the District.

Goodlett is currently finishing her first term on the board, while Peterson was appointed to the Board this year to fill a vacancy. Edwards is involved with the District Accountability Committee.

Duncan and Fowler both retired after careers in the military and want to continue to serve their communities. Duncan had a second career of 18 years as a teacher, vice principal, and principal in public schools. Fowler cited his faith as a motivator to help students.

The second question was whether the candidates knew what was expected of a Board of Education member. All the candidates cited giving their time, listening to members in the community, and working with the other board members to establish policies and standards of performance.

Third, the candidates were asked to share their vision of how to make this school the best school in Colorado.

All the candidates mentioned retaining educators as part of their vision of a successful school district. Goodlett spoke about the difficulty of affordable housing in Colorado, while Duncan added that the District has other qualities that can attract teachers, like small class sizes and a rural setting.

Edwards wanted to rebuild the Montessori program and make efforts to attract students. Peterson spoke about helping students to be “Future Ready” with critical thinking and adaptability skills. Goodlett talked about helping students who aren’t destined for college with more trade or vocation options. Fowler and Goodlett brought up school safety as part of their vision

The fourth question was the “Why are we so awesome?” question, as Edwards put it. The answers were variations on “the kids, the parents, the teachers, and the community.” Duncan also complimented the support staff who prepare the lunches and clean the school.

The fifth question dealt with the most pressing problems facing the school district and how to deal with them. Declining enrollment, teacher retention, and financial stability were mentioned most often by the candidates.

Goodlett linked declining enrollment with decreases in federal and state funding. Fowler mentioned the availability of other education options, like home schooling and private schools. Duncan highlighted the tradeoff between offering teachers competitive salaries and the reality of constrained budgets. All the candidates supported more effort and outreach to retain or attract parents and students

The sixth question dealt with accessibility and all the candidates pledged to be accessible to school community members, and to be involved with school activities and events.

The seventh question addressed the Black Hawk Education Enhancement Tax, which is a 1.5% sales tax on food, beverages, and lodging. The money raised from this tax, which amounted to about $1.7 million in 2024, is funneled to the district to supplement their budget.

All the candidates acknowledged that the District needs the money from this sales tax on casino patrons to meet its financial obligations.

The eighth question, similar to the fifth question, asked what the biggest challenges are for education in Colorado and the United States. The answers were also similar: underfunding and declining enrollment.

Duncan brought up the disruption to educational achievement throughout the US because of the COVID pandemic. Fowler thought AI needs to be taught as a tool instead of a threat. The intrusion of social media in schools and student mental health issues were concerns for Peterson.

The ninth question concerned school safety. The candidates were asked how they would make the school safer.

Edwards cited the 2022 swatting event and said that communication was a critical component in keeping the school safe. Goodlett supported practicing safe responses to emergency situations (duck and cover drills) so that staff and students know how to react in a crisis.

Duncan referenced the Evergreen High School shooting and supported practicing what to do if a gunman enters the school. Peterson spoke about a robust physical safety plan and tackling bullying so that students feel safe and supported while in school.

Fowler thought the board needed to understand and promote the new programs and technologies  that have been developed for school safety.

The tenth and last question was “Do you have anything else to say?”

Goodlett felt the purpose of the education system was to prepare the students for what comes next, whether it is picking up a hammer or going to Harvard. Duncan said that everything we do needs to be done on behalf of our children.

Peterson said her motivation to serve comes from a holistic belief in the power of public education. Fowler promoted the current board member candidates to maintain continuity. Edwards thanked the audience for coming and urged them to vote in this election.

Candidate contact information: Gary Duncan (fivehillsghost@yahoo.com), Jill Peterson (jillpetersonforgilpinschool@gmail.com), Brady Fowler (brady.s.fowler@gmail.com), Victoria Edwards (victoriaelenaedwards@gmail.com), and Kirsten Goodlett (Goodlett_ek@live.com).

Correction:

In our October 9 coverage of the Gilpin RE-1 school board candidates, we mistakenly referred to one of them as “Toby” Fowler. He is, of course, BRADY Fowler. The Mountain-Ear sincerely regrets the error, and apologizes to Mr. Fowler.