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WEEK OF JUNE 12, 2025
VOLUME 118 | ISSUE 24
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Schools consider financial literacy curriculum New law asks what teens must learn about their personal finances BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg is a refuge for a variety of wildlife. COURTESY
Housing proposal at odds with Wild Animal Sanctuary Sanctuary supporters downplay threats of violence by fans BY MONTE WHALEY MONTE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
An attorney representing two landowners in Weld County is accusing the supporters of an iconic wildlife sanctuary of issuing death threats against the two women for resurrecting plans to put a housing development on 40 acres of land adjacent to the facility. Jeremy Brett Daz Fletcher also says that recent comments made by Pat Craig – executive director of Wild Animal Sanctuary near Keenesburg – via social media posts criticizing the development could be libelous and are interfering with an earlier contract between the sanctuary and landowners. The death threats have also been fielded by real estate agents handling the sale of the eight home sites, said Fletcher
in his letter to Craig. “As we have expressed in our earlier statement,” Fletcher states in the letter, “we were saddened and disheartened that you chose to proceed in the manner you have. That statement remains true.” Craig rejected the claims about death threats from backers of the sanctuary and an offer from the development group to sell the acreages to the sanctuary for $4 million. There is no proof anyone has threatened the two owners – Sherry Boris Wigaard and Velois Smith – nor their agents, said Craig, who opened the 33,000-acre sanctuary over 31 years ago. “Who really thinks someone is going to travel to Florida and try to find these ladies to hurt them? Our core demographic is women 45 and older, with most having
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Masters or PHD’s and (who) are wealthy. Is that the kind of crowd that threatens to kill other women?” Craig said. Craig said via email that Fletcher has not acknowledged the two women refused to communicate with the sanctuary for nearly seven months. “Everyone seems to skip over this important fact. Had they been willing to keep the lines of communication open we would not be in this position today,” Craig said. He also termed the buyout offer as ridiculous as the owners - who live in Florida - are not trying to cover their expenses or even the projected sales of the sits. They originally offered the land to the sanctuary 10 years ago for $2 million. “We couldn’t afford that either,” Craig said. SEE SANCTUARY, P6
Forget balancing a checkbook. Today’s teens need to know how to avoid identity theft, decode a credit score and figure out if that “buy now, pay later” plan is actually worth it. With a new state law requiring all Colorado high school students to complete a course in financial literacy beginning with students in the 9th grade on or after Sept. 1, 2026, educators now face a practical challenge: how do you design a course that prepares 21st-century teens to make smart financial choices in a world of skyrocketing rents, digital wallets, student loans and TikTok stock tips? The law, House Bill 25-1192, mandates a semester-long course in personal financial literacy for every public school student, beginning with the class of 2028. But it leaves the details up to local school districts, many of which are still figuring out what today’s students need most: the basics of budgeting and saving, yes, but also how to navigate the gig economy, manage online spending and protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated financial scams. What the law requires, and what it doesn’t
While the law sets a content requirement, it allows schools to integrate the financial literacy standards into an existing course rather than create a new standalone class. But, students must understand and practice filling out the federal or state financial aid form (FAFSA or CAFSA), unless they and their parents opt out. Colorado has one of the lowest FAFSA completion rates in the country, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education. SEE CURRICULUM, P9
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