November 19, 2015 VO LUM E 1 1 | IS S UE 25
ARVADA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS Both Ralston Valley and Pomona won big last week, moving both teams into the quarterfinals of the 5A football tournament. Read more about the wins on PAGE 23.
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J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A DAY TO HONOR AND REMEMBER
Arvada student at home following accident Arvada K-8 student hit on the way to school is recovering at home By Crystal Anderson canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com When tragedy strikes, no one walks away unscathed. Yet, hope remains. Three weeks ago, Dalton MacManus, 18, was driving along 58th Street when he ran a red light at Balsam Street and A GoFundMe page has been hit 9 yearset up — www.gofundme. old Gage com/8z7j8kv4 — to help Gabaldon fund Gage’s medical as the boy expenses. As of press walked to time the page has raised school with $10,760. his siblings. An extremely upset MacManus stopped, rather than flee, cooperating with police every step of the way. “Everyone in the company is heartbroken over what happened, especially Dalton,” said Pat MacMaGabaldon nus, Dalton’s father. “I was there on the side of the road with him; he can’t sleep at night ... He’s grieving pretty hard.”
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Arvada veterans gathered with other community members and the Arvada City Council at Arvada City Hall Nov. 11 to honor one another and their service. Events took place throughout the metro area, honoring past and present members of the military for their service for Veterans Day. To see more from events in Arvada, turn to PAGE 5. Photo courtesy City of Arvada
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School board turnover has wider implications Conservative changes may not recede entirely By Crystal Anderson canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com Earlier this month, Jefferson County voters rejected a two-year stretch of a conservative school-board agenda, a trend stretching throughout electorates elsewhere in the state and in parts of the nation. “I think the big general message is in part a rejection of a swift move to conservative methods to school reform,” said Jeffco parent Robert Preuhs, an associate professor of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, of the broader implications of the county’s recall election. On Election Night, school boards across the state saw that shift in power, favoring new faces over so-called reform candidates and incumbents. In Douglas
‘Reformers were given a clear message in several local school board elections that we don’t like private and corporate interests trying to buy elections so they can tear down our public school system and forcefully implement their agenda. It’s clear these outside interests want to privatize our public schools, and organized, informed, hopeful and engaged parents, students, teachers and community members will stand up against such efforts.’ Jeffco United for Action organizer Tina Gurdikian
County, which has recently had a strong seven-member reform board, three incumbents lost significantly, with voters
favoring three new candidates who were seen as supporting teachers and community input. The Thompson School District
that covers Loveland, Berthoud and parts of Fort Collins, saw a similar shift, with four of its seven members being replaced. “In Colorado, we had a special case with a conservative movement in education, and we saw the public push back on that ...,” Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Arvada) said. “At a federal level, I don’t want to see any more standardized tests, and we are going to see fewer — it’s taking too much time and taking away from public education.” The turnover in Jefferson County, led largely by the parent-organization Jeffco United for Action, was aided by the efforts of thousands of parents, teachers, students and community members. “When a school board dramatically reverses direction of a nationally recognized, successful school district with the intent to dismantle it as the core element of corporate privatization of public education, I feel compelled to work diligently School continues on Page 13