News-Press DCCR 10-17-2013
Castle Rock
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 30
October 17, 2013
Free
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcastlerocknews.com
School election: Big issues at stake Vouchers, pay protocol among controversial reform efforts By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com The Douglas County School District is in the midst of what Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen recently called “the most rigorous transformation plan in American public education.” The arguments surrounding that effort are varied, some distinct to Douglas County and others similar to those surrounding education reform nationwide. That makes the Nov. 5 school board election — which could signal a shift in the school board’s direction — the focus of
InsIde Turn to pages 10 and 11 for Q&As with the school board candidates, and turn to Page 12 for a look at some of the major issues in the election.
national attention. The race for four seats on the seven-member board features eight candidates, four favoring the board’s reform efforts and four looking for a change in direction. Controversy has surrounded almost every step of the major educational reforms introduced by DCSD, starting with the voucher program in 2011. The many other reform pieces include a redesign of
the teachers’ pay-for-performance system first introduced in 1993, and a marketbased pay scale believed to be the first in the nation implemented at the K-12 level. District officials and reform supporters say Douglas County is leading the way, with programs and systems that will serve as a model for other districts across the country as the United States attempts to restore its academic record. The plans also give parents control and choice over their individual child’s education, a role reformers see as logical and appropriate. Some community members who see
Old-time good times
DCSD as a test case for the nation question the level of research behind and validity of the changes, their implementation, lack of community input, and teacher morale they say is declining in the reforms’ wake. They also question the ultimate goal, with some speculating the current method of reform will lead to socioeconomic segregation and underfunded public schools. Bill Mathis, managing director of the Boulder-based National Education Policy Center, says evidence shows the reforms that date back as far as three decades remain unproven. “The whole set of neo-liberal reforms has not proven itself to be particularly Election continues on Page 31
Checkbook can change facility names Town votes to offer rights for public buildings, parks By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews.com
Douglas County Fair Princess Haley Jacobs, 15, was off her horse Oct. 10, doing face-painting duty during the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation’s Harvest Day event. Being painted is Charlie Zuercher, 4, of Denver.
Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation (CALF), a program to introduce children and adults to involvement in agriculture, had its annual Harvest Day event Oct. 12 at its facility and grounds — the former John and Bea Lowell ranch south of downtown Castle Rock. Activities included harvesting pumpkins, learning about farm safety, getting wagon rides and hayrides, and the experience of trying free samples of biscuits and other dishes that were prepared outside using a covered cast-iron pan and hot coals.
PhOtOs by Virginia grantier From left, the three Villas brothers from Castle Pines — Aiden, 7, Owen, 11, and Alec, 10, came to Castle Rock on Oct. 12 to hunt for pumpkins during the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation’s annual Harvest Day.
Individuals or businesses will now be able to buy the right to name a Castle Rock building, park or other facility. Castle Rock Town Council earlier this month voted unanimously to amend the current town policy for naming parks and facilities to allow individuals or businesses who, for a significant donation, want the opportunity to have naming rights. But there are limits. Companies “that receive a majority of their revenues through the sales of alcohol, tobacco, firearms or sexually explicit materials; and names affiliated with religious and political groups; would not be considered because of the town’s naming committee’s guidelines,” according to a memo to town council from Kristin Trbovich, Castle Rock’s park and recreation business analyst. “Names should be community and family-friendly and to the best of our ability continue to foster a sense of small town character and history,” she wrote. Rob Hanna, Castle Rock’s parks director, told the council prior to the vote that the newly formed Castle Rock Parks and Trails Foundation was anxious for this change in policy, as the group had targeted as their first fundraising project the town’s underconstruction regional park — Philip S. Miller Park, west of Interstate 25 and south of Plum Creek Parkway. “(The foundation’s) geared up to hit the pavement,” Hanna said. It’s always been anticipated that some private money would be a part of the funding picture, and private money now could ease an unexpected load. The 225-acre project, the town’s largest park project ever, is going to take more time to construct than anticipated. Recently, the town council, faced with a higher price tag — more than $4.4 million in additional costs because of unanticipated