DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — The Douglas County Schools Board of Education continued with their superintendent candidate search with interviews for the top two applicants.
Erin Kane and Danny Winsor have both made it to the final stage in the process before the school board picks a candidate for the role.
Kane is currently the executive director for American Academy, which is a charter school in DCSD. She previously served as the interim superintendent for Dougco in 2016, and later returned to her role at American Academy. She has a background in engineering, as well as a Master’s Degree in public administration.
When asked how she would define the role of the superintendent, she said that she sees the school board as a governing board with the superintendent’s job to execute the vision of the board.
In the past, Kane has advocated for allowing charter schools to arm teachers. During her interview, she said that she is not in favor of arming teachers and called it “unnecessary” due to the presence of law enforcement.
Kane was forthright about her registered voter status as a Republican, but considers herself “centered.” However, she did acknowledge that she doesn’t feel like that has a place within her role as superintendent.
“I want to hear every good idea. I want to listen to every good idea. I don't put a political lens on any of it. I want to hear good ideas for our kids here in Douglas County, and I am always willing to change my mind,” said Kane during her interview.
During the interview, Kane reiterated that she does not advocate for Douglas County teachers to carry guns.
“I am not in favor of arming teachers in Douglas County. I certainly do not do that in any of my schools. It is entirely unnecessary. Here in Douglas County, we have law enforcement only a few moments away,” said Kane.
The second candidate up for the job is Danny Winsor, who currently serves as the district’s executive director of schools for the Parker region. He oversees the school district’s choice programming department. He has spent the last 13 years working for the district and has been in education for 20 years.
He told the board that Douglas County is his community and home, which he has a deep care for. If he gets the position, he wants to have a clear vision of what student success looks like and how to help students accomplish that.
“One thing is that I will tell you how it is. We need to clearly understand the problems, and it can’t just be about the people.”
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