Maloy: Slusar shows ‘little regard for the truth’

As the former superintendent of the Aspen School District (ASD) and a concerned citizen, I am writing this because I think the voters in the upcoming school board election should know my experience with Bettina Slusar, an active member of the Aspen Parent Action Committee (APAC), the group that orchestrated a public personal attack of me rather than an attack on systems and processes. Many of the actions of the APAC were contentious, non-collaborative and divisive.

Slusar’s histrionics at the first BOE meeting that APAC came to are infamous. With a raised voice and pointed finger she called for my “head to be cut off.”

Of note, Bettina never met me or had a one-on-one conversation with me prior to her attacks. She also attacked my daughter’s qualifications as a school psychologist, stating that her qualifications were mischaracterized because they were acquired during internships (several years of internships in a highly regarded PhD program). Of course, my daughter’s real crime was that she was related to me.

Ironically, Slusar requested that she be named the interim superintendent, despite the fact that she was not qualified for such a position, so she could continue to reduce “unneeded” administrators. Slusar’s rationale for getting rid of administrators was voiced during one of the candidate forums when she stated that despite differences in numbers of students, the numbers of administrators were similar between the Cherry Creek and the ASD. According to district data, Cherry Creek has 174 administrators (130 building; 44 district) compared to 15 administrators at the ASD (seven building; eight district). Similar numbers?

In conclusion, Slusar conducts herself with little regard for the truth and with an adversarial approach to getting what she wants. Vote as you like, but let me encourage you to vote for those who have shown civility, integrity, and respect for the future of the community’s children.

John Maloy

Basalt