The Estes Park School District Board of Education on Monday appointed veteran Windsor educator David Grubbs as its next superintendent, capping a meeting that also featured a student-led service project presentation, a public complaint from a band student, and routine financial and administrative reports.
Grubbs was approved unanimously after board members praised his professionalism, leadership, and the feedback gathered from students, staff, families, and community members during the search process.
The meeting began on a “light” note as Estes Park Elementary teacher Polly Greenblatt and two students, Quinn Damweber and Jordan Stamey, presented the school’s “Lantern Project,” which the district runs in partnership with the Engineering Brightness organization.
Greenblatt explained how the project gives elementary students hands-on experience building solar-powered lanterns that are sent to places without reliable electricity, such as Liberia and Guatemala.
Since the district joined the effort in 2021, students have built nearly 200 lanterns, said Greenblatt.
The students told board members the most meaningful part of the project was knowing their work could help children in places that lack electricity to study and feel safe at night.
“When I tell you that you get to actually change somebody’s world, this is going to change somebody’s world,” Greenblatt tells her students.
Student raises concerns before the board about the band instructor
The tone shifted during public comment when Natalie Workman, an Estes Park High School freshman, spoke to the board and urged them to address concerns about the behavior of the school’s band teacher, Nicholas Pierce.
Workman said student concerns have been ignored, leaving some feeling unsafe and unheard.
“The band teacher has made many of us feel uncomfortable and unsafe in a place where we are supposed to feel supported,” said Workman, who was given three minutes to address the board.
“School is supposed to be a safe environment, but in band, that’s not been the reality. Students feel anxious, stressed, and even afraid to speak up because of how we are treated. That’s not okay, and it goes directly against what I’ve read in the handbook and what it says about respect and safety,” said Workman.
“What makes this even more frustrating is that we’ve already tried to address this. We’ve been told that people have talked to him about his behavior, but nothing has changed. If anything, we feel like we’re being ignored, and we are the ones who have to keep dealing with it every single day. Band should be a place where students get encouraged and excited to learn about music, not a place that causes stress and fear,” Workman told the members of the school board.
Calling the situation “unacceptable,” Workman referenced the school’s handbook: “The school handbook exists for a reason, and right now it feels like those rules aren’t being enforced. I’m asking you to take action, not just conversations, not just warnings, real action. Students deserve to feel safe in every classroom, including band. We deserve to be listened to, and we deserve better than this,” said Workman.
Pierce was hired last May and began work in the fall for the 2025–2026 school year. According to a post published on the Estes Park School District’s Facebook page, Pierce has more than a decade of experience leading music programs across Colorado. He previously worked in the Platte Canyon School District, where he led grades 6–12 music programs, directed bands and choirs, launched jazz and rock ensembles, and served as music director for school musicals.
Pierce holds a master’s degree in wind conducting from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s degree in music education and performance from the University of Colorado Boulder.
School finances
Finance Director Brian Lund told the board the district is on track through the third quarter of the fiscal year. He said the district had repaid a little more than $2.4 million in a no-interest state loan used for operations before property tax revenues arrive, and that the district expects additional tax distributions over the next three months.
Superintendent Ruby Bode said the district is projecting flat funding for next year and does not expect major changes to that outlook. She said staff contracts will go out in early May, with returning employees eligible for retention incentives to be finalized after contracts are returned.
Staff can receive raises based on horizontal and vertical advancement, Bode said. “However, there’s not going to be any adjustments to the base salary schedule for the 26–27 school year.”
At the close of the meeting, board members thanked Bode for her leadership and positive changes in the district before voting 4-0 to appoint Grubbs as superintendent.
Board member Brenda Wyss, who made the motion, said Grubbs had been highly recommended and showed “professionalism, heart, and leadership” throughout the process.
Board member Matt Shochat said Grubbs’ listening skills, community engagement, and long tenure in his current role made him the right choice to lead the district.
Grubbs is expected to step into the superintendent position by July 1 as Bode moves with her husband to Arkansas.
The next board of education regular meeting will be Monday, May 18, 2026, at 5:15 p.m. One of the agenda items the board will take up in the next few weeks is appointing a new board member to replace Ava Kendall, who recently resigned. The individual will be appointed to serve until the next scheduled school board election in the fall of 2027.