The Douglas County School District Board of Education swore in Jason Page Tuesday night to replace a member who abruptly resigned last month in protest over how the board handled the firing of a former superintendent.

Members approved the appointment in a 4-2 vote.

Directors David Ray and Susan Meek were the dissenting votes.

In explaining her “no” vote, which Ray echoed, Meek said her preference would have been a candidate with ombudsman or legal experience, saying that is the district’s “highest need during this time period.”

The board interviewed three of eight finalists who sought the open seat. The other two under consideration Tuesday were Bradford Geiger, a family law attorney, and Michael Burmeister, a military retiree.

Page is an IT professional.

“I want to be part of tackling the issues at hand because our kids deserve each one of us to work together,” Page said during the special meeting Tuesday.

Page recently served two years on the board of directors at Ben Franklin Academy, a Highlands Ranch charter school, and represented charter schools on the district’s long range planning committee.

Page’s term expires in November, when the election for the post will be held.

The board – which is governed by a conservative majority – has been in turmoil for months.

The four who voted for Page – Board President Mike Peterson and members Becky Myers, Christy Williams, and Kaylee Winegar – also were found to have violated Colorado’s open meetings law last year when they discussed, outside of public view, removing Wise as superintendent.

On May 23, former Director Elizabeth Hanson resigned mid-meeting, telling the board she could not justify to taxpayers the money the board has spent to defend the decision of its conservative majority “because you broke the law when you fired Corey Wise.”

Wise – a longtime district employee – filed a civil rights complaint after the board fired him, without cause, in February last year. Wise later settled with the district for more than $800,000. 

The settlement money paid to Wise was through the Douglas County School Board’s insurance policy, his attorney has said.

The district has also spent at least $186,000 defending a lawsuit brought by state Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, for violating Colorado’s Open Meetings Law when firing Wise, a judge ruled.