Elbert County News 042723

Issues aired in Booth recall bid

School board member, petitioners, community residents weigh in

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Rodeo announces schedule

Elizabeth Stampede returning June 1-4

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

e 36th annual Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo will take place at Casey Jones Park from June 1 through June 4. Filled with ve exhilarating events, the Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo has something for every member of the family.

e cherished “Rodeo in the Pines” is a longtime tradition for the rodeo community and people of Elizabeth. is year the Elizabeth Stampede celebrates 36 years and it is still going strong.

“Whether you’re new to the area or a longtime resident, the rst weekend in June at the Elizabeth Stampede is a weekend you don’t want to miss,” said Traci McClain, Elizabeth Stampede president.

“ e moment you enter our gates, you will receive a warm Western welcome from our friendly, all-volunteer team. Take a stroll down our tree-lined vendor alley where you will nd some of the most unique merchandise our area has to o er. End your walk at the food court where the tantalizing smells of turkey legs, BBQ and more will greet you. Grab a beverage and enjoy a competition between the top talent in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. End the day with music and pleasant conversation with your neighbors at our after rodeo dances.”

e Elizabeth Stampede is the biggest, most-attended event in Elizabeth, with event tickets selling out quickly.

Volunteering for the Stampede Volunteers are the backbone of the Elizabeth Stampede. It takes countless people coming together to make each year’s events run

smoothly and the 2023 Elizabeth Stampede is no di erent. As the rodeo approaches each year, the need for more volunteers grows.

e Elizabeth Stampede is currently looking for more volunteers to help with several aspects of the events. From working security at the concert to hospitality, there is something for everyone. No rodeo knowledge or experience is required.

“When you join our organization you will not just be a volunteer, you will be part of our Stampede family. Many of our volunteers have been showing up since they were youngsters and year after year they come back and make this rodeo the special community that it is,” said McClain. “It’s a great environment for families and a great way to meet people in the area. Whether you are looking to donate just a few hours of your time over Stampede weekend, or you would like to volunteer

VOLUME 128 | ISSUE 11 INSIDE:

At the Feb. 13 Elizabeth School Board meeting, Shawn McWhorter — a resident of Elizabeth School District — o cially announced a move to recall school board member Heather Booth.

Since the announcement, several concerned residents of the school district, as well as some district faculty and sta , have worked to oust Booth from the school board through recall e orts.

In McWhorter’s Feb. 13 appearance before the board, he said Booth had violated policies on board conduct and the code of ethics as being grounds for recall. He also argued that she has displayed an attitude and acted in a way unbecoming of an elected o cial.

“ e public slandering of sta is unprofessional and unbecoming of an elected leader,” McWhorter said when introducing the recall. “She displays hostility to the school board, certain teachers, certain sta , certain students and certain community members. Elected o cials have policies and procedures to follow. Her personal attacks, public slandering and bullying of sta members is in direct violation of these policies.”

Elizabeth Stampede signs stand at the border of Elbert and Douglas counties.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

SEE RECALL, P6

SEE RODEO, P4

Colorado Democrats clash over provisions in elections

Recounts, public funds for ads are issues

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado Senate President Steve Fenberg rejected a provision requested by Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a fellow Democrat, limiting when candidates can pay for recounts in his measure this year tweaking the state’s election code.

And in another snub, Fenberg’s measure, introduced Tuesday, would prohibit the Colorado Secretary of State’s O ce from using state or federal funds for advertising that features candidates for federal, state or local o ce.

e move appears to come in response to controversial television commercials run by Griswold featuring herself and former Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican running to be Colorado Springs mayor, in the lead-up to the 2022 election. Griswold was running for reelection at the time.

e measure, Senate Bill 276, represents a rare open disagreement among two powerful, rising Democratic stars in Colorado and it hinges on the sensitive issue of election conspiracies and misinformation.

Colorado law requires that mandatory recounts be conducted in races that are decided by an extremely small margin — when the number of votes separating the leading two

candidates is less than 0.5% of the number of votes cast for the leading candidate. So, for instance: If Ronald McDonald had 1,000 votes and the Burger King had 999 votes, the one-vote di erence would be 0.1% of McDonald’s votes, triggering a recount.

For races where the margin between candidates is larger, a recount can be requested by a campaign and is conducted if they pay for the work. Griswold wanted to prevent those so-called permissive recounts by candidates who lose by more than 2 percentage points to prevent election workers across the state from having to duplicate their work in contests with a clear outcome. In 2022, for instance, then-Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters paid more than $100,000 for a recount in her GOP primary loss in the secretary of state’s race after alleging fraud and malfeasance but providing no evidence. ere was no shift in Peters’ 14-percentage-point loss after the votes in each of Colorado’s 64 counties were tallied for a second time.

But Fenberg, who lives in Boulder, worried that limiting permissive recounts would decrease con dence in Colorado’s elections.

“I think we want to increase con dence in our elections and not remove options for people,” Fenberg told reporters Tuesday. “Especially if someone is an election denier, I don’t want to do something that feeds into (conspiracies).”

Colorado State Sen. Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, prepares to address fel-

low lawmakers as the legislative session opens in the Senate chambers Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Restricting permissive recounts to races when candidates were within 2 percentage points of each other was a top legislative priority for Griswold this year.

“ e Secretary of State’s o ce does not write legislation but instead works with Colorado’s County Clerks to recommend policies that are needed to administer elections that are free, fair and secure,” Annie Orlo , a Griswold spokeswoman, said in a written statement. “It is disappointing that the Senate president was unwilling to include this already agreed-upon provision that was supported by Colorado’s county clerks and would have protected the state’s dedicated election administrators from performing unnecessary recounts. ese unnecessary recounts are being used by election deniers all over the country as a means to sow doubt and burden election workers to the point they are no longer willing to do these jobs.”

Meanwhile, the provision around how advertising dollars can be spent would prohibit a federal, state or local candidate from being prominently featured — either by name, photograph or likeness — in any advertising by the Colorado Secretary of State’s O ce.

“ is bill is about building condence and trust in our democracy, which includes strengthening transparency standards, preventing con icts of interest and ensuring election administration isn’t perceived as partisan in nature,” Fenberg said in a statement.

Griswold and Williams came under re for appearing together in a TV ad that ran in the months before the 2022 election that was aimed at combating voting conspiracies.

e Secretary of State’s O ce spent more than $1 million on the spot.

e ad was the subject of a campaign nance complaint led by a conservative political nonpro t.

Griswold, in an interview Tuesday with e Colorado Sun outside of a courtroom where she was testifying against a man who allegedly threatened her, called the provision “reckless.”

“Doing voter education, outreach

to Coloradans is something that statewide elected o cials do in the course of normal business,” Griswold said. “To propose something so dramatic without stakeholding, when lives are literally being threatened, feels very reckless.”

Griswold’s o ce, which in a statement called the restriction “incomprehensible,” said the provision would also restrict its ability to promote business and licensing programs.

e advertising provision only applies to Griswold’s o ce, but other statewide elected o cials have used their likeness in ads paid for with public dollars. For instance, the ofce of Treasurer Dave Young, also a Democrat, spent thousands of dollars on Facebook ads that featured the treasurer’s photo publicizing its “Great Colorado Payback” program in the weeks before the November election.

Gov. Jared Polis sent a letter to Colorado taxpayers that accompanied Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refund checks that were sent out in August and September.

Both Polis and Young, like Griswold, successfully ran for reelection in November.

Fenberg’s bill, which was drafted in partnership with Griswold’s o ce and county clerks, would also make a host of other changes to Colorado’s elections. at includes requiring counties with more than 10,000 voters — more than half of Colorado’s 64 counties — to begin counting ballots at least four days before Election Day in an e ort to ensure results are posted as quickly as possible to prevent election conspiracies from spreading.

e measure also seeks to make candidates’ state nancial disclosures more robust and accessible to the public and expand automatic voter registration to tribal land.

Colorado Sun correspondent Sandra Fish contributed to this report.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

RODEO

year-round, we can use your help.”

To volunteer and get involved in the Elizabeth Stampede, visit elizabethstampede.com/index.php/getinvolved/volunteer.

Below is a full schedule of events for the Elizabeth Stampede:

June 1 (Thursday)

Concert

Doors at 5:30 p.m., show at 6 p.m. Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbles Jr.

Like a River Farewell Tour Concert also features Double Wide

and a special guest

June 2 (Friday)

Friday Night Chute Out

Doors at 5 p.m., show at 7 p.m. For the past decade, Friday night has been known for its exhilarating PRCA Xtreme Bulls performance. Now, the Elizabeth Stampede is turning it up a notch. e new “Friday Night Chute Out” features the baddest bulls and broncs in the industry. Cowboys will compete in the Bull Riding, Bareback Riding, and/or Saddle Bronc events for an all-encompassing rough stock rodeo experience.

June 3 (Saturday)

2023 Tough Enough to Wear Pink

Doors at 11 a.m., show at 1 p.m. is rodeo event combines the sport of rodeo with community support of the National Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. Attendees are invited to wear pink and cheer for the contestants in Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Mutton Bustin’, Saddle Bronc Riding, Tiedown Roping, Barrel Racing, Women’s Breakaway Roping, and Bull Riding. 2023 Colorado Ag Night PRCA Rodeo

Doors at 5 p.m., show at 7 p.m.

Agriculture roots run deep for many people in the rodeo community. e Elizabeth Stampede proudly presents their appreciation of farmers and ranchers with Colorado Ag Night. is event will be a celebration of tradition and the western way of life. Attendees can cheer on Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Mutton Bustin’, Saddle Bronc Riding, Tie-down Roping, Barrel Racing, Breakaway Roping, and Bull Riding contestants in their race against the clock.

A free “Behind the Chutes” tour is available before the start of the rodeo. ose interested should meet at the Foundation Tent 90 minutes before the rodeo begins. ere will be live music before and after this rodeo. e purchase of rodeo tickets includes access to music and dancing featuring the Je rey Alan Band.

June 4 (Sunday)

2023 Red, White & Blue PRCA Rodeo

Doors at 11 a.m., show at 1 p.m.

Every year, the Elizabeth Stampede’s Sunday performance is the “Red, White and Blue Rodeo” coupled with

military appreciation day. is rodeo performance includes special patriotic acts and a ceremony honoring veterans and those currently serving in any branch of service. e rodeo includes the fast-paced and energetic competition in Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Mutton Bustin’, Saddle Bronc Riding, Tie-down Roping, Barrel Racing, Breakaway Roping, and Bull Riding.

For the second day, a free “Behind the Chutes” tour is available before the start of the rodeo. ose interested should meet at the Foundation Tent 90 minutes before the rodeo begins.

Tickets

Concert

General admission before May 17 — $40

General admission starting May 28 — $45

VIP — $100

Afternoon performances

Adult — $15

Child — $10

Premium adult — $16

Premium child — $12

Evening performances

Adult — $24

Child — $18

Premium adult — $26

Premium child — $20

Ticket fees for the Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo Event are $4 on average per ticket. Parking passes can be purchased online for $5 along with rodeo event tickets.

To purchase tickets for all Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo events, visit etix. com/ticket/v/16181/elizabeth-stampede-rodeo.

To learn more about the National Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign, please visit toughenoughtowearpink.com.

Granger Smith is the headliner for the Elizabeth Stampede concert on June 1.

Cover of the 2023 Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo program. IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ELIZABETH STAMPEDE

Colorado to receive $31 million settlement from Juul

Stems from nationwide case

BY OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado is expected to receive $31.7 million from electronic cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs in a multistate settlement over claims the company used deceptive marketing tactics and promoted products to teens, the state’s attorney general announced April 11.

e lawsuit, led in 2020, claimed Juul was misrepresenting the health risks of their vapes and targeted young people by hiring social media in uencers to promote e-cigarettes and brand ambassadors to give free samples to teens at Colorado convenience stores.

“ is settlement is a victory for the state of Colorado and everyone who fell victim to Juul’s reckless, deceptive, and unconscionable marketing tactics,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “While no amount of money or new restrictions on Juul’s business practices can undo the harms caused by the teen vaping epidemic, this settlement will make great strides toward reducing it and can support young people who are hurting now more than ever.”

Vapes typically contain the same addictive nicotine as other tobacco products.

e settlement funds will be used solely to address tobacco prevention and teen mental health programs,

Weiser said in a news conference, despite a news release his o ce sent earlier that said it would be used in part to cover attorneys’ fees.

“ at $31 million is going to be dedicated entirely to supporting young people who have su ered both from a public health and from a mental health perspective,” Weiser said. “ e kids are not OK. Right now they’re su ering. is vaping epidemic is part of that, it has in icted harms that remain and that need to be addressed.”

e attorney general’s o ce will send $167,000 to the National Association of Attorneys General to reimburse them for a grant they provided for investigation and litigation costs, according to the settlement.

Under the settlement agreement, Juul will be prohibited from using those marketing tactics in the future, Weiser said. e company will also be required to hire a compliance o cer and provide the public opportunities to review documentation of their compliance with the agreement.

Most recent state data shows that 16% of Colorado teens reported they had vaped in the past month. When Colorado led the suit, the state had the highest rate of vaping teenagers in the nation at 27%, double the nation average, according to the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey.

Juul has settled lawsuits with 47 states and territories, paying more than $1 billion, the company said.

“With this settlement, we are nearing total resolution of the company’s

historical legal challenges and securing certainty for our future,” a company spokesman said. “Since our companywide reset in the fall of 2019, underage use of JUUL products has declined by 95% based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey.”

Colorado sued Juul with other attorneys general, including from California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico and New York. e total settlement was $462 million.

Late last year, Juul announced it settled more than 5,000 cases brought by about 10,000 plainti s in the U.S., sidestepping a substantial amount of legal issues for the

company.

“

ese settlements represent a major step toward strengthening Juul Labs’ operations and securing the company’s path forward to ful ll its mission to transition adult smokers away from combustible cigarettes while combating underage use,” the company said in a news release.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Settlement funds from the Juul Labs lawsuit will be used to address tobacco prevention and teen mental health programs. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Roxanne Aviles, a district parent who plans to run for a school board seat later this year, wrote to the Elbert County News on April 18 with her concerns about Booth. “A board member has no business speaking about any district sta publicly, or the issues that that board member has with said sta , and doing so violates the district’s code of conduct policies” Aviles wrote. “Heather Booth has disclosed con dential school safety information during public school board meetings, putting our students’ and school district sta ’s safety at risk.”

Booth argues that she has ful lled her campaign promises and that the recall e ort is unfounded.

“In 2021 I was elected by the people of Elizabeth based on Conservatives for Kids. My opponents have led this recall because I’m keepUnited States. ey don’t teach constitutional American History and American Exceptionalism. Heather stands up for our rights as parents and calls out the radical left with their mask, school closures and ERT socialist agenda. I voted for Heather and I’m glad I did! She’s got my support 100%.”

Others are fearful of the conservative uniformity of the board and believe that members are putting politics over the education of Elizabeth’s children.

“ e sta of the Elizabeth School District has lost trust in our school

board and our current school board has lost vision of what matters most, our children and the teachers in the district,” Aviles wrote to the Elbert County News. “As a parent, I expect my children to be able to attend our schools and receive the best possible education. For so long, this has been a desirable place to live because the district is small, and the schools are very good. But now that our board is a constant source of chaos instead of consistency, continuity, and calm, we are at major risk of losing our desirabil-

for power outages

ity as a community where people want to buy homes and raise their families.”

Recent petition

e initial recall petition expired on April 24 and was required to have approximately 2,500 signatures. As of the Elbert County News press deadline on April 21, it was not yet known whether the signature cuto would be met, or what the next steps would be if it was not. Go online to elbertcountynews.net after April 24 for an update on the petition outcome.

Some members of the recall e ort said that their attempts to collect signatures were sti ed due to acts of intimidation.

“ e petitioners seem to be scared and intimidated by the negative reactions they’ve gotten from people who are against the recall,” Elizabeth resident Jessica Capsel, a petition circulator, wrote to the Elbert County News. “When we are out in public, we’ve been harassed and told to leave public places or private places with prior approval. I

don’t think people realized how nasty this would get and it’s scared them.”

Capsel also says that Booth and/or her supporters have harassed members of the recall e ort through calls, texts, and in public on social media.

“ is whole situation is very sad. is group of disgruntled citizens continue to spread inaccurate information,” Booth wrote. “When that is brought to my attention, I and individuals who know me will correct the record. at is not harassment.”

Rumors of charter schools

So far in 2023, several Elizabeth School District employees have either resigned from their positions or have decided not to renew their contracts for the 2023-2024 school year.

Some Elizabeth-area residents who spoke on condition of anonymity reached out to the Elbert County News to express their fears that Booth and the Elizabeth School

Board ers to Elbert the that intervention. aim schools would Department lum asked of Party, claim in County on Board. overwhelmingly strong and wrote. their concerned policies di from subdivision the tives (e.g. private, very tendent the to stands including ing, the values contradict lent work to district community schools families

Elizabeth School Board Vice President Heather Booth was the subject of a recent recall petition e ort.

PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES

Roxanne and Kaito Aviles work to collect signatures for the Heather Booth recall outside of their neighborhood in Spring Valley Ranch.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Sean McWhorter o cially announces the e ort to recall Elizabeth School Board member Heather Booth on Feb. 13.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Board are hoping to force out teachers on purpose.

e perceived goal, according to the citizens who contacted the Elbert County News, is to reduce the sta and faculty numbers so that the district will require state intervention. e board would then aim to convert many Elizabeth schools into charter schools that would then be free from Colorado Department of Education curriculum requirements, the citizens who asked for anonymity believe.

ey point to Tom Peterson, chair of the Elbert County Republican Party, as the leader of the e ort — a claim that Peterson atly denied in an April 18 email to the Elbert County News.

Peterson also shared his thoughts on the state of the Elizabeth School Board.

“ e Elizabeth community is overwhelmingly conservative with strong support for school choice and parental rights,” Peterson wrote. “Parents want to know what their kids are being taught and are concerned with curriculum and policies that push a social agenda di erent from their own values.

ere continues to be an exodus from the public school. In our subdivision alone, over one half of the families have found alternatives to the Elizabeth public schools (e.g. charter school, homeschool, private, out of district public). I am very impressed with new Superintendent Dan Snowberger. He has the experience, skills and vision to do an excellent job. He understands the challenges of the district including funding, facilities, staing, growth, etc., and the need for the school district to support the values of the community and not contradict them. We have ve excellent school board members that will work with the new superintendent to ensure that the policies of the district represent the values of the community and make the Elizabeth schools an excellent choice for families in our community.”

Booth also pushed back against

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the rumor that she and the board have a goal of conversion to charter schools. “ at has not been discussed by the board nor have I heard it as an idea from any member of the board, current or past,”

Booth wrote to the Elbert County News. “ e board of all school districts in Colorado select the curriculum that will be used in their local school district.”

Plans for future recall e orts

Supporters of the recall e ort are hopeful to continue their battle against Booth if their recent attempt falls short. Some aim to continue recall e orts with a future petition. Others hope to make changes to the board in other ways by running for a position in the fall 2023 elections.

“ is recall is not about politics or personal agendas. It is about doing what is best for our children and going back to the purpose of the Board of Elizabeth School District’s message of putting kids at the heart of everything they do,” Aviles wrote. “We need to hold our board accountable for their roles and core values which are putting students rst, exercising teamwork, and modeling excellence.”

Booth expressed her concerns for future recall e orts, explaining the expense that it would cause the district.

“I am deeply saddened that individuals wish to continue this campaign of misinformation and put district funds at risk that should be used to support our sta and increase compensation in the district,” Booth wrote. “Should a recall election be successful in being certi ed, it will be school district funds earned by our children that will be spent on this political attack instead of the important work of the district.”

Shawn McWhorter, who publicly launched the recall e ort, had not responded to requests for comment from the Elbert County News as of press time. e requests for comment were made through phone messages, emails, texts and social media.

To learn more about the Elizabeth School District Board of Education, visit elizabethschooldistrict.org/ domain/120.

• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.

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Need help with rising heat costs?

Rising heating costs may be hard to budget for this year, but help is available to Douglas County residents who are struggling. If you or someone you know needs assistance, apply now through April 30, 2023, for energy assistance through the State of Colorado’s LowIncome Energy Assistance Program (LEAP). For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search LEAP or email LEAPHELP@discovermygoodwill.org

Spring cleaning is at your curbside

Do you have hazardous waste from a painting project, old oil from your car’s maintenance, or other waste from your recent DIY project? This curbside service is available to Douglas County residents for $30. For details call 1-800-4497587 or visit douglas.co.us and search Household Waste Management

Do you own property in Douglas County?

Per Colorado law, Notices of Valuation are mailed to all property owners on May 1. Watch your mailbox for a postcard. Questions? Visit douglas.co.us/assessor

Need flood zone information?

If you live in unincorporated Douglas County, Flood Insurance Rate Maps and zone information are available by request. Visit douglas.co.us and search for Flood Plain Information. A form may also be requested by calling 303-660-7490 or visiting Public Works, 100 Third St. in Castle Rock.

Climate change drives need for firefighters

Colorado has acute shortage

BY OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN

Standing atop a parched, grassy knoll in the shadow of Pikes Peak and in front of miles of earth scorched by the Waldo Canyon re more than a decade ago, federal, state and local re experts called for more training and new approaches to ght the “public safety crisis” of wild re in a growing state.

For many, the mile-wide wall of re approaching the ridgeline bordering the Cedar Heights neighborhood in 2012 remains a vivid memory. Embers “the size of boxes” rained from the sky, Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Royal remembers. e ames destroyed 347 homes and killed two people, but stopped within feet of homes in Cedar Heights thanks, in part, to the mitigation work by the community.

But the risk of wild re has increased in the past decade, with more homes being built in the area next to undeveloped forest and climate change bringing more intense res to areas that were once not thought to be at risk.

“For years, we’ve viewed this re problem that we have as being more of a natural resource event. And as we’ve watched the forest health deteriorate, as we’ve seen the changes in the weather, and as we watch the growth in to the more rural areas of Colorado and across our country, we have created a public safety crisis,” Mike Morgan, director of Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control said April 19.

More than 36,000 homes lie in wild re-prone areas where development intermingles with wildland vegetation in Colorado Springs, which ranks as the largest wildlandurban interface in the state. Nationwide, that number has grown to 99 million people, or one-third of the U.S. population living in areas at risk of wild re, yet most have no idea what dangers they face, federal experts say.

“We’re going to have to learn to live with re in our country,” Morgan said. “We just have to learn ways to mitigate or lessen the likelihood or the severity of these events when they occur.”

Morgan joined U.S. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell and other re experts to discuss the challenges in addressing climate change, drought-driven wild res that are growing in intensity, size and destructiveness.

In the rst three months of 2023, there have been more than 9,000 wild res across the country, MooreMerrell said. About 800 people have died in residential structure res this year, and last year, there were more than 1.2 million structure res, and 69,000 wild res that burned more than 7.5 million acres, she said.

“ e threat of catastrophic wild re in America’s interface communities demands national attention. at’s why we’re here,” she said. “It demands a uni ed approach. Because our current approaches to wild re mitigation and management do not match the scale of the problem.”

ere’s a need for more training, experts said, explaining that methods used to extinguish structure res are di erent from those used to ght ames along the wildland urban interface.

Most municipal re ghters lack the adequate training and equipment needed to ght res e ciently and safely in the wildland urban interface, said Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire ghters, which represents 335,000 re ghters across the U.S. and Canada.

While most re departments are responsible for ghting res along the wildland urban interface, about 78% of them have unmet training needs, according to the latest U.S. Fire Administration report published earlier this year. Two-thirds of those departments lack su cient wildland personal protective clothing.

e IAFF, in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy, will host a course to teach re ghters how to attack res

that spark near the border of urban and wooded areas.

Colorado’s Department of Public Safety requested $6.5 million to “meet increasing training and certi cation demands statewide and maintain a robust re ghter training and certi cation program,” according to a November 2022 budget document, but the Joint Budget Committee rejected the request in March.

e JBC rejected the request because the department was already receiving money to support training, some still unspent, and some local jurisdictions were already underway with similar training, said Rep. Shannon Bird, a Westminster Democrat who sits on the powerful panel.

“We were unable to increase, at this point in time, our ability to expand training for re ghters,” Morgan said. “We will be back asking for that. We understand there’s only so much to go around. But this is a problem. We have to invest in our local communities.”

Colorado’s re ghting corps has failed to keep up with the growing demand to ght wild res. According to the U.S. Fire Administrator’s report, the wildland urban interface continues to grow by about 2 million acres per year.

e state needs about 2,500 more career re ghters and 1,100 volunteer re ghters in the next 12 to 18 months to address the growing demand of wild re response, Morgan said.

e number of people interested in becoming re ghters is declining across the country, said Kevin Quinn, rst vice chair of the National Volunteer Fire Council. Fire departments that normally receive thousands of applications a year are now receiving a few hundred.

Health risks associated with the job and long hours, mainly due to sta ng shortages, make it hard to recruit and retain re ghters.

As numbers of interested applicants have fallen in the past three decades, the call volume to volunteer re departments has tripled, Quinn said. e industry also struggles to recruit and retain women and people of color.

Only 11.6% of career re ghters were Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% were Black and 1.3% were Asian, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women make up about 4% of career re ghters and 11% of volunteer re ghters, the National Fire Protection Agency reported in 2021.

Leaders also called for the need to implement building regulations that would protect growing communities on the edge of wildland.

Michele Steinberg, director of wild re for the National Fire Protection Association, called for a universal code that would require all homes and businesses in the wild re-prone areas to adhere to re-resistant building standards.

“Unfortunately, time and time again, what we see is that communities rebuild in the same way in the same areas as those that burned to the ground,” Steinberg said. “Without a new approach, we’re destined to repeat history at our own peril against a erce and unrelenting opponent. We won’t stop wild res from occurring, but codes and standards are the means to better withstand and lessen impact in the wildland urban interface.”

e failure by local, state and federal governments to impose preventative building codes is increasing the re problem, added Shane Ray, president of the National Fire Sprinkler Association.

“Codes and standards established through a consensus process are a minimum and they should not be picked apart in a political environment,” Ray said. “ e more buildings built to an outdated or weakened code in the interface between the forest and the city, and where re departments are understa ed, undertrained or lack resources, is increasing the re problem in America.”

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Jury convicts man for threatening secretary of state

2021,” Griswold said.

BY SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

A Denver jury has convicted a 52-year-old man of retaliating against an elected o cial for threatening Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a phone call to the Democrat’s o ce.

Kirk Wertz told Colorado State Patrol troopers investigating the threat that he called the Elections Division of the Colorado Secretary of State’s O ce on June 30, two days after the 2022 primary, and told a worker to “tell the secretary that the angel of death is coming for her in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Wertz has been held in the Denver Downtown Detention Center since July 6 on a $2,000 bond, jail records show. At one point, a mental health stay was instituted in the case and later lifted, court records indicate.

Authorities traced the cellphone from which the call came and saw that it was moving from Kansas toward Colorado. e threat prompted the Colorado State Patrol to provide Griswold with round-the-clock protection.

“It made me feel like a sitting duck,” Griswold testi ed in court on April 11. “All I knew is that someone said they were going to come kill me and started driving toward this state.”

Troopers eventually tracked Wertz to a Je erson County convenience

store. ere, Wertz told the troopers his call was protected by his First Amendment right to free speech.

“I have a right to call,” he said, “and disagree and give her a piece of mind.”

Public defenders and the prosecutor trying the case refused to say where Wertz is from, though voting records from 2022 list his address as Littleton.

Wertz’s conviction marks the second time a man has been found guilty of charges after threatening Griswold.

In October 2022, a Nebraska man was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from threats he made against Griswold

on social media. at was among the rst cases pursued by federal authorities as they tried to protect election o cials and workers across the country from a rise in threats stoked by former President Donald Trump’s false and baseless claims that he won the 2020 election.

Wertz was tried under a state law passed in 2021 that made it a crime to threaten elected o cials.

Griswold told jurors that she received few threatening messages before the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. She said that event “changed the atmosphere for election workers and secretaries of state.”

“ e onslaught of threats toward me happened in the summer of

At the time, she had enacted a rule prohibiting third-party audits of election results or equipment. e prohibition was aimed at preventing rogue actors from following through with demands for audits from Trump supporters.

“Congresswoman Lauren Boebert tweeted out falsely that I was stopping all audits,” Griswold said. “ at was retweeted by (U.S. Sen.) Ted Cruz and the threats started to come in. It was really scary. I was receiving 10 threats a day.”

Griswold has been outspoken against election deniers, often posting to social media and speaking out on cable TV news shows about the safety and security of Colorado’s elections. She is chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, a political organization. is isn’t the rst time the 2021 law has been used in Colorado courts.

A Colorado man accused of making numerous calls to U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Lafayette, and his sta in January pleaded guilty to threatening an elected o cial. A Denver man was also arrested last week for threatening Neguse over the congressman’s support for gun control.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Griswold testifies

‘It made me feel like a sitting duck. All I knew is that someone said they were going to come kill me and started driving toward this state.’

Jena Griswold, Colorado Secretary of State

Program gives students who didn’t finish college second chance

BY ERICA BREUNLIN THE COLORADO SUN

Natasha Gutierrez had covered a lot of rocky territory by the time she turned 23 and hit a personal low, addicted to heroin and meth and fed up with her life.

Five years later, Gutierrez now has gone 14 months without any drugs or alcohol and is determined to achieve a second semester with a perfect GPA where she is one year away from earning an associate’s degree in science.

“I knew that I wanted something di erent,” she said, “but my dilemma was, I want something di erent, but I’ve never seen it, so how do I know what I want if I’ve never seen it?”

Her vision for her future has become sharper since she returned to college about two years after completing a semester of classes at a community college in Illinois. She is back in school at Otero College with help from a state program framed around second chances.

at program — known as Finish What You Started and o ered at 30 Colorado public colleges and universities — came out of the pandemic and gives people who have completed some college credit the money and help they may need to cross the nish line of their degree or certi cate. e program is backed by more than $46 million in federal funds under the American Rescue Plan Act through June 2026 and is overseen by the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, a state division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education that provides funding and support to students pursuing education after high school.

Education leaders and program coordinators call it a critical part of motivating more students who dropped out of school or pushed pause on their classes to resume coursework at a time more than 600,000 people in Colorado have some college credit but need more to graduate.

Despite their best intentions, students who drop out of school usually don’t come back on their own, said Angie Paccione, executive director of CDHE.

“We knew we had to provide an incentive and some resources and a pathway for them to come back, with no stigma either,” Paccione said.

e pandemic dealt a blow to students who were already struggling nancially, leading some to take a timeout from school to work and provide for their families while others hesitated to move forward with remote classes that would have robbed them of a full college experience.

“We wanted to entice them back … to say, you started this (and) it’s going to have great value for you,” Paccione said. “Let’s go ahead and help you nish it.”

At Otero College in La Junta, in southeast Colorado, 58 students signed on to complete their degree through the state program. Ten have

graduated, nine students are set to graduate this spring and seven are on course to graduate this summer, according to Jane Wheeler, the success coordinator for the college’s program.

Wheeler has watched as many students have veered away from higher education, often because of circumstances beyond their control. Some students struggled to make the leap from high school to the demands of college courses while others were pulled away by a job, a marriage, children or a move. And some simply foundered as they tried to adapt to online classes when COVID-19 hit, she said.

e scholarships available are enough to persuade some students to come back, especially when higher education costs often stand in their way and they want to start advancing in their career and earning more money, Wheeler said.

“We’ve had several students that came back just because it was going to mean an increase in their pay and perhaps even position,” Wheeler said. “So that nancial (bene t) has been a driving force for students to return to college.”

Otero College students who pick up where they left o can receive varying levels of scholarships based on credit hours and nancial need. For instance, a student pursuing 12-14 credit hours would net a $1,500 scholarship. at money can go toward tuition, books and living expenses. To be eligible for funding, students must have already completed some college credit, been out of school for at least two consecutive semesters and su ered economically during the pandemic.

Once back en route to their degree or certi cate, students in the program are required to stay in school, maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 and plot their next steps through a career vision board and graduation

timeline. Many of them also take advantage of peer mentoring, meet with a student “success coach” who helps them narrow down careers that interest them and tap into student support services — including tutoring, an organization that brings together nontraditional students on campus and mental health visits with a therapist. Students can receive extra scholarship money when they commit time and energy to some of those academic services, Wheeler said.

Some students who qualify for the Finish What You Started program take a little more coaxing, especially when they feel their chance at nishing their education has passed them by, she noted.

“It’s never too late to nish what they started,” Wheeler said, adding that students in their 50s and 60s have made their way back to campus.

at message has been one that Gutierrez — who is in recovery from a 13-year battle with addiction —

has embraced.

“School is a huge thing for me because it gives me hope,” said Gutierrez, a 28-year-old single mother of two daughters, who currently stay with their grandmother in Pueblo. “I didn’t think that I’d be able to do anything, and then I’m exceeding my expectations of what I thought.”

Getting a second shot at her education has brightened her prospects of a promising future after a lifetime of trauma, including sexual abuse by a family member, the loss of her father and stepfather — who both died by suicide — and a relapse with drugs close to three years ago.

“I’m going to be able to enjoy the future, not just experience it, but enjoy it and be present in it,” said Gutierrez, who lives at Fort Lyon Supportive Residential Community, a transitional housing initiative run by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. “And I feel really hopeful and excited and even empowered in some ways.”

Jane Wheeler, left, advises nursing student Daniel Chapa during a meeting at Otero College. Chapa left Otero College in 2012 due to poor grades but re-entered the school in the spring of 2022 after seeing fliers posted around La Junta promoting the Finish What You Started program. He made the Dean’s List for the fall 2022 term.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COLORADO SUN

‘Finish What You Started’ is o ered at 30 schools

We wanted to entice them back … to say, you started this (and) it’s going to have great value for you. Let’s go ahead and help you finish it.’

Angie Paccione, executive director of CDHE

Thu 5/04

Sat 5/06

Smithtonian Handbells @ 12am

May 6th - May 5th

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Fame on Fire: 107.9 KBPI

BIRTHDAY BASH

@ 3:30pm

Fiddlers Green Amphitheater, 6501 S Fiddlers Green Cir, Green‐wood Village

Rockies @ 6:10pm

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With Ginuwine - Frankie J & Baby Bash @ 8pm / $55-$2500

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Fri 5/05

ARTS: Mini Picasso @ Southwest @ 3pm May 5th - May 26th

Southwest Recreation Center, 9200 W. Saratoga Pl., Denver. 720-913-0654

Holy Hammers Hustle for Habitat @ 8am / $25

8830 Apache Plume Drive, Parker

Improv FUNdamentals: 6 Week Class @ 9am / $195

PACE Center Drive, Parker. parkerplayer simprov@gmail.com, 970-222-2762

The Spirit of the Dragon: An Aerial Production Inspired by Raya and the Last Dragon @ 1:30pm / Free-$25

May 6th - May 7th

Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 South Alli‐son Parkway, Lakewood. iluminaraerial@ theapollocenter.com, 720-479-8438

Scott Fowler Music: Scott Fowler @ 2 Penguins Tap & Grill @ 5pm 2 Penguins Tap and Grill, 13065 E Briarwood Ave, Centennial

Sun 5/07

DJ Rockstar Aaron: Forbidden Bingo Wednesdays - 'Bout Time Pub & Grub @ 7pm Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan

Thu 5/11

Teague Starbuck @ 5pm

Modern Brew - Kitchen, Coffee, Bar, 8221 S Holly St, Centennial

The King Stan Band in Paradise

@ 6pm Paradise Tavern, 9239 Park Mead‐ows Dr, Lone Tree

Korey Foss: Rock Candy @ Fraco's @ 5pm

The Toad Tavern, 5302 S Federal Circle, Littleton

Sugar Britches at Grist Brewing! @ 5pm

Grist Brewing Company, 8155 Piney River Ave, Littleton

6 Million Dollar Band @ 6pm Pindustry, 7939 E Arapahoe Rd, Centen‐

nial

Taylor Rave @ 8pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Contragolpe @ 8pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

The Highlands Ranch Concert Band presents: Natural Wonders Across America @ 2pm

Littleton High School, 199 East Lit‐tleton Boulevard, Littleton. media @hrconcertband.org, 303-8703662

Damn Yankees @ 5pm

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Cobra Man @ 7pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Mon 5/08

Crestone Peak Ages 13-14 - 2023

League Session #2 @ 3:30pm / $300

May 8th - Jun 24th

Elevation Volleyball Club, 12987 E Adam Aircraft Drive, Englewood. 720-524-4136

Modern Swing Mondays @ 5pm / $10 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Wed 5/10

Ladies Night @ 5pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

bloodywood @ 6:30pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Etana @ 6pm Levitt Pavilion Denver, 1380 W Florida Ave, Denver

Steve Azar: Mockingbird Hitmakers Series @ 6pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Old Man Crunchy LIVE @ The Alley (Littleton) @ 6pm The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Littleton

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Wrapped in stress FROM THE EDITOR

There seems to be some kind of “awareness month” for almost every topic on the planet, so I was not overly surprised to see that April is Stress Awareness Month. Not sure a month quite does it for the level of stress we are under these days, but hey, at least there is an established time to educate the public about it. By nature, I am a stressed person. I have regular anxiety. I have imposter syndrome in several aspects of my life. en, there are the daily realities of life that I do not create in my head to add to the stress. In doing some research, I learned about three levels of stress, which include:

• Acute stress – is is known as more “brief” stress. However, those brief stresses are common and frequent. is kind of stress is caused by reactive thinking where negative thoughts re ect current events and situations.

• Episodic acute stress – is is when a person experiences acute stress frequently. is level of stress may leave someone feeling like they are always under pressure and that things are always going to go wrong.

• Chronic stress – is is the most harmful type of stress, especially if left untreated. is level of stress never fades, leaving someone to feel pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time.

Stress does not just a ect the mind. I can attest to that in telling you all something I rarely talk about. Not because I am embarrassed, but it is hard to explain.

In my early 20s, I was getting my journalism career started, had recently been married and was waking up feeling o some mornings. My tongue was hurting and something was wrong.

After getting married and moving in with my husband, we found out I was having seizures in my sleep. I never had them during the day and they only happened on occasion. ey had also never happened before.

I was sent to a neurologist who ran tests and found nothing wrong or nothing to explain it, especially given that the seizures only occurred in my sleep. He considered it to be hormones and maybe other causes but eventually told me I would either have to learn to deal with the stress of my job or nd another career.

Seizures can a ect everyone di erently. For me, it impacted some of my memories. I do not remember dating my husband and sometimes he has to remind me of things that happened in those early years of marriage.

ere was no way I was going to give up my career, so I started working with doctors and therapists on what to do.

To this day, I am still a stressed person by nature, but on those particularly bad days, I have a di erent feeling or sense. I know that before going to sleep, I must destress. I must take some time to smile and try not to think about the day I just had.

I haven’t had a seizure since I was 32. I am now 44.

To this day, we still do not know for sure what exactly triggered these seizures, but it did force me to be a lot more aware of what is happening to me on a mental health level.

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Not consistent

While bemoaning the lack of answers to address school shootings in your April 13 publication editorial, you simultaneously buried on page 7 of the same publication, the article announcing the arrest of an Elbert County resident, 19, facing two charges of attempt to commit rst-degree murder in relation

to threats against local schools. Perhaps it is your business strategy to gain Elbert County readership by plastering your front page with oversized color photos of feel-good news about STARS, Reading and Rodeo. However, I nd this presentation inconsistent with your SEE LETTERS, P13

Bring your own ...

We all know what BYOB means right?

WINNING

It’s a restaurant that doesn’t serve alcohol, so the BYOB means bring your own booze. We love those establishments that have a full bar, great wines, and specialty cocktails. And when the food is as good or better than the booze, all the better. But we also love those restaurants that require us to bring our own booze. Maybe it’s because they couldn’t get a liquor license, or maybe they prefer to focus on their passion for the food they cook, and either way, they are still a BYOB.

What if we thought about this in other areas of life? Even if we aren’t a restauranteur, or even if we are, we face other situations and opportunities in life

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

that require us to bring something else to the game in order to achieve success. What if we thought about changing BYOB to BYOK, bring your own kindness? Or BYOS, bring your own strength. Perhaps it’s BYOP, bring your own peace. As you read this you could probably ll in the blank with, bring your own compassion, grace, awesomeness, courage, hope, or any other positive, encouraging, and a rming word.

So, let’s tackle a few, shall we?

BYOK, bring your own kindness. As I did some research for this column, asking people what they wished the world would bring if they had to bring their own anything, kindness was the number one word. ose I spoke with and others who responded to a survey shared that the ugliness and negativity of the world had them wishing that the world could

SEE NORTON, P13

750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110

Phone: 303-566-4100

Web: ElbertCountyNews.net

To subscribe call 303-566-4100

THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SCOTT GILBERT Editor sgilbert@coloradocommunitymedia.com

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN FRANKS Production Manager efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100)

A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado,

Thelma Grimes

How failed banks impact investors

It can be very unsettling to hear of a bank failure such as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) last month. Investors may wonder how they should react or if they should adjust their portfolios.

First, a little history lesson to put this into perspective.

When depositors rush to get their money out of a bank that is nancially in trouble, it is called a “run” on the bank. ese are not new and have occurred at di erent levels of severity in the past, the worst in the 1930s during the Great Depression. At that time, there was contagion across many banks, not our current situation. While bank insolvency can often come on the heels of the Federal Reserve Board raising interest rates, that is not solely the cause, according to Mariner Wealth Advisors Chief

LETTERS

FROM PAGE 12

editorial, “Answers in short supply” and disingenuous. First and foremost, I expect my local paper to educate and inform. e bad news could have easily t on the rst page, alongside the good news. And, your characterization of suicidal school killers as “disgusting people” only

Economist William Greiner.

Each bank must manage the risk of lending, investing, cash deposits and withdrawals. If any or all of those are out of balance, problems start to percolate. When you have high-risk loans, such as technology start-ups, and you are short on liquidity (more withdrawals than deposits), and the investments backing the deposits decline in value, you have a recipe for failure.

Many banks issue loans on real estate or other business collateral.

ey may also use Treasuries to back up deposits. When the Fed raises interest rates, and the value of those Treasury bonds declines, bankers may need to sell at a loss to cover withdrawals. Once this spiral starts, or collateral is devalued due to bad loans, depositors may demand their money causing a run on the bank.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell remained concerned about in ation when he testi ed before Congress in March. is drove interest rate expectations higher after several interest rate hikes over the last three

serves to further entrench the polarized debate on nding answers to make schools safe. Please, put some e ort into following up with our Elbert County Public Health director, our Elbert County sheri , and other elected o cials. Elbert County commissioners will never allocate funding to the sheri ’s o ce to enable putting multiple SROs in every county school, as you desire. And, when the budget controlling commissioners decry the lack of tax

quarters. is downward pressure on bond values and concerns the bank would need to raise capital, caused some technology-focused venture capital companies to remove funds from SVB.

It was very fortunate that a contagion was avoided, as the U.S. government response was swift and e ective. Once the facts were released and average depositors realized they were not involved in a bank that does high-risk lending, some of the pressures eased.

Investors will likely review their portfolio to make sure they are not invested in small banks in the venture capital space or have heavy exposure to commercial real estate.

ey may also avoid banks that have not had proper risk management or oversight. ese things created a perfect storm scenario for SVB. It may be wise to stay with large institutions commonly known as “too big to fail” due to their backing by the Fed. Large banks may actually benet from depositors moving money to them from small banks in amounts

funding, please give me a call. Good luck and thank you for trying.

not covered by the $250,000 limit for FDIC insurance.

Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” was able to instill trust in his customers to survive a run on his bank during the Great Depression. In real life during that time, the Emergency Banking Act of 1933 formed the Federal Deposit Insurance known as FDIC. ese days you don’t really run to your bank and can click to manage transactions on your phone. It is not recommended to keep large deposits in any one institution, just as you would not put all of your investments in one individual stock. Work with your wealth advisor to determine the right amount to leave in the bank, which is usually designed for transactions or emergency reserves, not large sums that could be working harder for you elsewhere.

Patricia Kummer has been a Certied Financial Planner professional and a duciary for over 35 years and is managing director for Mariner Wealth Advisors.

FROM PAGE 12

be a little kinder, well actually, a lot kinder. One respondent was so convicted of this that she felt that, “If we could all just show up with kindness every day, we could actually have a greater impact on the world than climate change e orts, economic shifts, and voting in the right candidate for president.”

BYOS, bring your own strength. Sometimes life deals us a bad or di cult hand. Sometimes we nd ourselves in a season of life where we succumb to our weaknesses, or we see the situation as too much for us to handle; Illness, divorce, addiction, or death in our circle of family and friends, and so many other horrible life events that can cause us to cave. BYOS means that we nd our inner strength, and if we don’t have that strength or can’t nd that strength, we need to BYOS, bring the strength of others who come alongside us, just when we need them the most.

BYOP, bring your own peace. Wow, could this be the most proli c of all BYO’s? In the agitated world that nds us reading news about road rage, random violence, wars, school or community shootings, or any other topic that drives a wedge between humanity, peace is the most desired of human emotions right now. We live in a world of violence on TV, in the movies, in video games, and it’s all tolerated or

worse, accepted as the norm of the world in which we live. BYOP, bring your own peace, this means we can own how we react or respond to each and every news feed or situation we nd ourselves in with peace.

You get the point, right? BYO isn’t restricted to restauranteurs, BYO means we can bring our own anything to each and every situation we face. We all face seasons of life that bring us heartache and anguish, seasons of joy and celebration, and well, just seasons of life. No matter what we face, we, and only we, can determine what we bring to the game or situation. Will it be kindness, strength, peace, hope, grace, love, awesomeness, courage, or hope?

e choice is yours; the choice is ours. It doesn’t matter what other BYO might be, we get to select our own BYO. What’s yours? If your BYO is kindness, please live it. If it’s strength, please own it. And if it’s peace, please keep it. And if it is any other quality or trait that can have a positive impact on our world, please share it. I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@ gmail.com and when we can decide which BYO to live, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Susan Shick Elizabeth

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In a state that has over 400 breweries and almost 100 distilleries, approaching the topic of sobriety can be a hard conversation for many people to have.

But with low-key, no-fuss non-alcoholic options at many establishments across the metro, it doesn’t have to be a big deal if you don’t want to drink, whatever your reasons.

Mocktails that you wouldn’t even know were NA

Golden Moon Speakeasy in Golden uses all its own distilled spirits and creates unique craft cocktails at’s all the more reason that general manager Kayla Veatch sees to o er quality, non-alcoholic options.

“My overall philosophy when I changed the menu was to have the same options as the alcohol menu,” Veatch said.

So no, you won’t have to order a water if you’re the designated driver. e mocktails at Golden Moon use highly steeped teas to replace alcohol and utilize many of the same syrups and NA ingredients the cocktails use.

Mocktails are a great option for people ready to slow down on alcohol for the night, people taking certain medications, pregnant people and people exploring sobriety, Veatch said. e speakeasy even serves mocktails to children before 9 p.m.

Having an inclusive menu makes an establishment like this a gathering place for groups, Veatch explained.

“People can still come together….if I didn’t have mocktails, I wonder if they would still be excited to come,” she said about group members who don’t consume alcohol.

Some of the mocktails Veatch makes include the Cloud City, which features an earl grey tea base, ginger, lemon and elder ower, or the Cheshire Cat, which features a butter y pea ower tea base, passionfruit juice and lime. Veatch even makes a copycat smoked whiskey.

Golden Moon Speakeasy is located at 1111 Miner’s Alley in Golden.

An alcohol alternative

For those looking for another NA drink option, perhaps with health bene ts, kombucha has been a popular choice.

Kombucha has been added as an option at many breweries, bars and co ee shops around Colorado; but Marc Gaudreault owns one of only two kombucha tap rooms on the front range.

Before the pandemic, the Trubucha tap room in Lone Tree had space for people to sit inside and enjoy a glass of kombucha. According to Gaudreault, Trubucha actually grew during the pandemic, and the demand for his product is so great he needs most of his shop space for fermenting the kombucha in huge vats.

Still, Trubucha boasts 31 taps in the store and has a spacious patio for people to enjoy kombucha, lemonade, ginger beer or cold brew.

So, what is kombucha? Put simply, Gaudreault explained, it’s lightly fermented tea. But the health bene ts are much more lengthy, he said. Most notably, the drink has an abundance of natural probiotics,

Kayla Veatch crafts a mocktail.

A lineup of mocktails at Golden Moon.

Exhibit features early photos by Ansel Adams

Mark the calendar for June 11 to Oct. 1 for an exhibit of early works by famed photographer Ansel Adams at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. Watch for news of related programs and tours at botanicgardens. org.

Newman Center National Geographic on May 15 and Cyrile Aimee on May 19 wind up the busy “Newman Center Presents” season at the University of Denver: “Life on the Vertical,” with Mark Synott is scheduled for May 15 and Cyril Aimee will appear on May 19. Both at 7:30 p.m. See newmancenterpresents.com for information and ticket prices.

Aurora Fox

“Treasure Island: A New Musical for a New Generation” will be presented April 28 to May 21 at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave, Aurora, directed by Nick Sugar. Book by Carla Vitale and Brett Smock, with music and lyrics by Corinne Aquilina. Actor Eric Sandvold will be Long John Silver. A special announcement will come from the Fox on May 1, we are told. 303-739-1970 or aurorafox.org for information. We hope for more next week.

Vintage Theatre

Vintage eatre Productions presents “ e Inheritance: Parts I and II” by Matthew Lopez. is is a regional premiere, directed by Bernie Cardell through May 14. is play won a Tony and all sorts of other awards. May be the most important play of the century. It consists of two three-hour parts, with intermissions. Part 1: April 7-May 14, Friday, 7:30/Saturday, 2:30; Part 2: April 8-May 14, Saturday 7:30/Sunday 2:30/Monday April 24, 7/Sunday May 14 7:30. ree-hour parts with intermissions. Tickets: $20-$38. 303-856-7830. See vintagetheatre.org, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora.

OPTIONS

as well as B vitamins and an acidic composition that some say can help your gut health.

For many, this drink has become a replacement for beer and other alcoholic beverages, partly due to its prevalence in drinking establishments.

“We have some breweries that go through three of these (kegs) in a week,” Gaudreault said.

People who choose not to drink should have options besides a soda, Gaudreault said.

“You want something that is a little more sophisticated,” he said.

Trubucha is located at 10047 Park Meadows Drive Unit A in Lone Tree.

Make it at home yourself

For those looking to have an NA drink at home, e Spice and Tea

Church art show

e Ken Caryl Art Guild will exhibit artworks by members from May 5 to June 14 at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 9203 S. University Blvd., Highlands Ranch. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Opening reception May 7 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Arapahoe Community College

Wine, Art and Design event at Arapahoe Community College on May 18 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the ACC Art and Design Center, 2400 W. Alamo Ave., Littleton. Information at: arapahoe.edu/foundationevents. Funds will go to ACC’s Art and Design programs and to ACC Foundation general scholarships.

Plant sale

Plant sale will be at Denver Botanic Gardens, 909 York St. on May 12 and 13, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. More info

Exchange in Idaho Springs has almost everything you need to get started on your very own mocktail creation.

Logan Houser, manager at e Spice and Tea Exchange in Idaho Springs, explained that the shop has all sorts of ingredients to make cocktails or mocktails at home.

e sugar and salt wall, which contains countless canisters of avored granules, is a good place to get ingredients to sweeten your mocktails or rim the glasses, according to Houser.

“It all just depends on what you’re trying to achieve,” he said.

e store has many types of teas, some of which can make for a good mocktail base.

“We have like four or ve teas you can use for mocktails,” Houser said.

He said the fruity teas do really well for those drinks, but you can try out lots of combinations.

“Really anything you buy here is multipurpose,” Houser said.

soon. See botanicgardens.org.

City Park Jazz City Park Jazz announces the lineup for summer: starting with Sarah Mount and the Rushmores on June 4. Only 3.2 beer allowed in the park (no glass containers). See cityparkjazz.org for schedule.

Aspen Grove art

Arapahoe Community College

Art and Design students will exhibit work at Aspen Grove through May 7, including some mural designs throughout the center. e storefront between See’s Candy and Tattered Cover will hold work, as will space next to the Apple store. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. ursday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Arts workshop

Heritage Fine Arts Guild announces a workshop on May 19 and 20 (9

a.m. to 3 p.m.) with Paul Jackson: “Dramatic Light and Luminosity in Watercolor.” Information: Krista Falkenstine, krista.falken@gmail. com, 720-440-3336 or Jennifer Bird, heritageartworkshops@gmail.com, 303-520-7131. Costs aren’t listed in the information we received. Held at First Presbyterian Church, 1609 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton.

Littleton Symphony

Littleton Symphony: 7:30 p.m. May 19 at Littleton United Methodist Church, 5893 S. Datura St., Littleton. 303-933-6824, littletonsymphony. org, or at door. Soloist: David Byrd Morrow. Strauss: Horn Concerto.

Colorado Gallery of the Arts

Colorado Gallery of the Arts at Arapahoe Community College, 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, hosts “Artist Invitational” through May 5. Open 9-5 Monday to Friday, ursday until 7 p.m.

e shop also o ers cocktail kits with sugars, teas and syrups to make drinks, which Houser said are popular for people to use for NA drinks.

“You can change them out for club soda,” he said of champagne or other alcohol recommended in the recipes.

e Spice and Tea Exchange is located at 1634 Miner St. in Idaho Springs.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, call the alcohol addiction hotline at 331-200-1664, or visit alcohol.org.

Kayla Veatch strains a mocktail.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE

Early photographs by Ansel Adams will be displayed at Denver Botanic Gardens starting June 11. COURTESY OF DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS

Gutierrez’s days, which often start at 4:30 a.m., are crammed with classes, tutoring, workouts at the gym, studying, and time advancing through Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous followed by religious devotionals and a FaceTime catch-up with her kids.

A $2,000-per-semester scholarship through Finish What You Started helps her cover the cost of school supplies, food and clothes as well as a ord a computer. As Gutierrez moves closer to the day she can cross a stage in a cap and gown, she has become a much more condent version of herself, someone who leans on the resources at her school and knows how to ask for help — things she shied away from in the past.

While mapping out her plan through the graduation timeline she received upon returning to classes, she aims to specialize in research physics, focusing on particle physics and quantum mechanics. Gutierrez will stay the course at Otero College for the next year, building a stronger foundation while continuing her recovery at Fort Lyon in Las Animas before potentially relocating to Pueblo to begin studying physics at Colorado State University Pueblo.

“I know that I’m able to accomplish my goals,” Gutierrez said. “I know that I have support systems, resources and the ability to accomplish my goals.”

Helping students like Gutierrez

earn their remaining credits adds up to a communitywide transformation for Colorado’s southeastern pocket, where economic prosperity has lagged other parts of the state, Wheeler said.

“We want to have a homegrown, educated workforce because that’s going to boost the economy in this area, and it’s going to overall build a stronger community with greater resources,” she said.

e program also stands to reshape the state more broadly, equipping it with a more skilled workforce, said Joe Garcia, chancellor of the Colorado Community College System.

“It’s not about just helping the student,” Garcia said. “It’s about helping Colorado’s economy. We have too many jobs that are going un lled because we don’t have trained people to ll them. If we can train them, we can get them in the workforce. Our employers are better o , the economy is better o and certainly our students are better o .”

Garcia points to a program at Pueblo Community College that predates the pandemic and in many ways in uenced the development of Finish What You Started, with e ective nancial and academic support.

at program, called Return to Earn, launched in 2016 as Richie Ince, the college’s downtown studio director, started calling students who were suddenly no longer enrolled to see why they had stopped.

He heard stories of students overtaken by life circumstances — pregnancies and cancer diagnoses, divorces and the death of a loved one, or rather “life happens moments,” as Ince calls them.

Many of those students were only a few classes away from graduating, and as Ince chatted with them over the phone, he repeatedly heard that students had been thinking about coming back but hadn’t yet taken the rst step.

Pueblo Community College has succeeded in pulling students back into the classroom by helping them sort out funding for school, with Ince guiding students through the nancial aid process, helping them submit their FAFSA and following up to get any additional information needed.

Since Return to Earn’s inception, 450 students have found their way back to Pueblo Community College to nish their schooling, with as many as 120 taking advantage of the program each semester.

Students have walked away credentialed in a variety of elds, Ince

said, including law enforcement, nursing, teaching, cosmetology, welding, computer information systems and others.

When the program started, students who completed their rst semester with a C or better in all their classes received a $750 scholarship. Now the scholarship is $2,000 — doled out at the end of the semester — with an additional $500 awarded at the end of each additional semester.

In the past seven years, more than 90% of students have passed with grades of C or better in their rst semester back, Ince said.

Pueblo Community College still operates its Return to Earn program and received an infusion of new funding through the Finish What You Started program. While Finish What You Started is funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds facilitated by the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, Return to Earn is funded by both the Pueblo Community College Foundation and matching funds from the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative.

To qualify for Return to Earn, students have to have been out of school for at least two consecutive semesters, not yet earned a degree and fall under a designated income level on their FAFSA, the federal student aid application.

To qualify for Finish What You Started, students have to either qualify for a Pell Grant, live in a certain geographic area or fall within the 300% poverty line. e program used to only require students to have been out of school for at least two consecutive semesters and have no degree, but criteria changed last year with new personal nance restrictions.

Now, students who earn too much to qualify for nancial aid but who don’t make enough money to put themselves through school aren’t eligible for Finish What You Started funding.

Some of those students are already back in classes, and COSI — a division of CDHE that facilitates the Finish What You Started program — is communicating to schools that the state will still move forward with granting funds to those students. Even if a student who previously quali ed for help through Finish What You Started no longer quali es, they will still get the funding they were initially promised, said Cynthia Armendariz, managing director of COSI.

e change tied to personal nance requirements occurred in April 2022 due to a nal fed -

eral rule that spells out eligibility. Students receiving funds through the program must have su ered a nancial setback during the pandemic, whether they were laid o or furloughed, experienced a dip in earnings, saw job o ers rescinded or struggled to nd work because of the economic downturn, according to a statement provided by a CDHE spokesperson. Recipients of the federal funds that support the program must “demonstrate negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries and the public sector,” according to the statement.

“We continue to explore ways that can be demonstrated and are looking at all ways to expand who is eligible” while following federal parameters, the statement noted, adding that CDHE has reached out to colleges and universities across the state to learn more about how the program has been implemented and to ask for “technical clari cations and additional documentation” so that the state can make sure to ful ll necessary reporting requirements for the federal recovery funds.

Armendariz said that her division learned about how changes were a ecting schools earlier this spring, close to a year after the nal federal rule was released. She said the lag was due to challenges with trying to understand what the nal federal rule meant and how it would impact programs and schools.

“We are honoring our commitment to students and want to ensure there is no disruption in their path to completion,” Armendariz said.

Ince has seen support from the programs lead many students to a much more stable nancial footing. A survey of former students that Ince conducted in 2019 comparing their income before and after graduating revealed that, of 63 respondents, 57 were employed, and each student’s annual income jumped by an average of 151%.

“Financially, they’re much better o than they were before they came back,” Ince said. “ ey’re providing for their families more.”

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

‘We want to have a homegrown, educated workforce because that’s going to boost the economy in this area, and it’s going to overall build a stronger community with greater resources.’

Jane Wheeler, success coordinator for Otero College’s program

Wise hopes settlement puts students before politics

District settles lawsuit for $800K

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Douglas County School District will pay former superintendent Corey Wise more than $800,000 to settle claims that Wise’s ring amounted to discrimination.

Wise led a complaint with the Colorado O ce of Civil Rights against the school district and four school board members — Becky Myers, Mike Peterson, Christy Williams and Kaylee Winegar — in April 2022 after he was red without cause, claiming he was dismissed for advocating for marginalized students by favoring a mask policy in schools and working to implement an equity policy.

Under the settlement, the school district will pay Wise $270,733 for the remainder of his superintendent contract, as well as $562,000 to resolve the lawsuit. According to a news release from Wise’s attorneys, the money will come from the district’s insurance policies, so no money will be diverted from students.

Wise told Colorado Community Media the settlement is vindicating for him, adding that he hopes it will deter politicization and discrimination in Douglas County moving forward.

“I feel validated that this sends a

statement that politics should not enter education and, at the same time, discriminatory acts have consequences,” Wise said.

e administration o ce for the school district said on Monday it did not have any comment on the settlement.

e settlement is not an admission of liability for the district or board members.

Board President Peterson said in a statement that he voted to re Wise because of a lack of competency and reiterated that the settlement is not an admission of liability.

“As one director, I voted to terminate the former superintendent due to a lack of competency - period,” he said. “I will not allow this matter to distract me from focusing on our students and securing more competitive pay for our teachers and sta .”

Board Member Williams also provided a statement, saying she voted to re Wise because she felt he was “unable to meet the requirements of an e cient and e ective leader.”

“I’m thankful we can nally move forward and put the focus back on our students and sta ,” Williams said.

Myers, Peterson, Williams and Winegar campaigned and were elected on platforms that included removing mask mandates in schools and making changes to the district’s equity policy.

Wise’s complaint alleged those

actions, as well as numerous statements from the four board members, were evidence they were motivated by discriminatory views against immunocompromised people, people of color and LGBTQ+ people.

“I think their actions were retaliatory and discriminatory, not only against me, but all of the students that we were trying to protect,” Wise said, adding that they showed “poor leadership.”

e goal with the complaint is to stand up against discrimination and push back against partisanship and misinformation, Wise said.

Iris Halpern, Wise’s attorney, agreed, saying it’s important for there to be consequences to putting politics before students, which is a ght not unique to Douglas County.

“Hopefully this sends the message to communities that we have to be careful about how our education systems are politicized, not to vilify minority groups that need the most support and that there is an intentional playbook that is talking place right now,” Halpern said. “ ere’s a larger attempt to exploit the situation and create division and hate for political power. It’s not happening by accident.”

Wise said he is thankful for the support he’s received from community members and wants the best for the district. He urged the district to continue to focus on educational equity and nd ways to come together.

“Each of our students’ experiences going through school is the social piece of learning, so (addressing equity) is just as imperative as teaching academics,” he said. “If we don’t provide a safe environment for every student to learn, how are they going to reach their potential?”

Wise’s ring was a watershed for the school district, with more than 1,000 teachers calling out sick and students walking out of class to protest the termination the day before it happened.

It came under extra scrutiny when school board members Elizabeth Hanson, Susan Meek and David Ray alleged the decision had been made outside of public meetings, which would violate Colorado’s Open Meetings Law.

Douglas County resident Bob Marshall, who is now also a state house representative, sued the district over the alleged open meetings law violation and that suit is still in court.

In a preliminary order issued in March 2022, Douglas County District Court Judge Je rey Holmes agreed that the board members had violated the law and ordered the members to conduct all public business in public meetings and follow open meetings law.

School board members Myers, Peterson, Williams and Winegar maintain they did not violate any laws.

Wise currently works for the Cherry Creek School District.

CROWSS UP DRO ELZZ

‘Rate payer revolt’ demands end to dependence on gas-fired energy

BY ERIC GALATAS PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE

Consumer advocates held a “Rate Payer Revolt” at the Colorado State Capitol to urge lawmakers to address what they see as the root cause of the recent extreme spikes in utility bills: the state’s reliance on natural gas.

Danny Katz, executive director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, said at the April protest lawmakers and utilities should take steps to protect ratepayers by tapping new federal funds to speed up the transition to sources such as wind and solar, which are produced locally and are not commodities traded on a global market.

“And if we want to make sure that we are not getting ripped o as consumers into the future,” said Katz, “we need to do more to reduce our reliance on gas to heat and power our homes and businesses.”

Xcel Energy has blamed spikes in heating bills on rising wholesale gas prices and market forces beyond its control. It has launched a costadjustment plan to give consumers some relief.

CoPIRG and other groups are urging the Legislature to take steps to lower the state’s dependence on gas - including maximizing eciency and ending ratepayer subsidies for new gas infrastructure, lobbying and legal expenses.

Xcel and other utilities have added clean-energy capacity, but

continue to see natural gas as an important source for meeting peak energy demand and keeping the grid working at night and when the wind isn’t blowing.

Katz said we now have roadmaps and technologies - including increased storage capacity, and regulating peak demand via smart appliances - to wean ourselves o of natural gas.

“Twenty years ago, maybe we didn’t have the technology, and maybe we needed to have a much more diverse portfolio,” said Katz.

“But I think we’ve seen the price of renewables have come down, the capacity that we have to put more energy from renewables has gone up.”

Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is more than 85 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2 and is a major source of climate pollution.

Katz said he believes now is the time for utilities across the state to move away from a fuel source subject to global supply chains and disruptive geo-political events.

“ ere’s a lot of federal infrastructure money coming in as well,” said Katz. “So there’s never been a better time for utilities to step up and say, ‘OK, we can start to reduce this reliance and move away from gas.’”

is Public News Service via e Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media is a member.

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Bill vows to fully fund state’s K-12 within two years

budget on the backs of students,” she said. “We’re going to set a priority, and it’s called education.”

BY ERICA MELTZER CHALKBEAT COLORADO

is might be the last year that Colorado lawmakers hold back money from K-12 schools to fund other budget priorities.

Legislators have toyed with the idea of fully funding Colorado schools several times in recent years, but always held back amid economic uncertainty. While Colorado’s constitution requires school funding to go up each year by the rate of population and in ation, lawmakers haven’t met that requirement since the start of the Great Recession.

Since 2009, Colorado has withheld more than $10 billion from its schools.

Now the school nance act that passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee on April 19 includes a provision that would require the state to fully fund K-12 schools starting in the 2024-25 budget year.

e bill also contains a provision to fund state-authorized charter schools at a level similar to other schools starting in 2024-5. Districtauthorized charter schools get a cut of locally raised tax dollars. Stateauthorized charter schools do not.

Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican and bill sponsor, called these provisions the “within-striking-distance amendments.” Lawmakers could still abandon these promises next year — particularly if economic conditions change —but moving to write them into law is a signi cant step.

e school nance act also will include even more money for 202324 than originally proposed after an impassioned appeal from Weld County Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer.

“It’s time for the state Senate and this General Assembly to let the governor and the rest of the state know, no more B.S., no more balancing the

Kirkmeyer, who serves on the Joint Budget Committee, pointed out that the state education fund has nearly $1.3 billion, and that Democrats have funded a host of new programs since they took control of the legislature in 2018.

“We pay for people’s bus passes, we pay for people’s utility bills, we pay for people’s rent, we pay for hygiene products, we pay for business licenses, we pay for health insurance,” she said. “We darn well ought to pay for education and put our children rst.”

e money to fully fund K-12 education would come from a mix of savings in the state education fund and new revenue. Colorado has so much money in the state education fund because lawmakers slashed school funding in 2020 in anticipation of a COVID-related recession that never materialized. When revenues came in above projections, lawmakers socked much of the money away.

State Sen. Janice Marchman, a Loveland Democrat and teacher, found Kirkmeyer’s argument persuasive. She pointed to widespread teacher shortages, salaries that haven’t kept pace with in ation, students still recovering from learning disruptions, unmet mental health needs in schools, and safety fears. Meanwhile, federal pandemic funding will expire in 2024.

“ ere is no reason for our state to have a rainy day fund if we don’t recognize that we’re in a rainy day,” she said.

e additional money means the withholding for 2023-24 —known as the budget stabilization factor — would be just $141 million or 1.5% out of a more than $9 billion K-12 budget.

A decade ago, lawmakers withheld 18% of the money that should have gone to schools.

State Sen. Rhonda Fields, an Aurora Democrat, recalled that early in her legislative service, funding was so limited schools were talking

about charging students to ride the bus. e prospect of eliminating the budget stabilization factor feels like entering a nal frontier.

“I’m looking at Star Trek,” she said. “We can go to places we’ve never gone before. We can meet new people. We can fund our schools.”

At the same time, she said state government has a lot of responsibilities beyond education.

Joint Budget Committee Chair Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat and bill sponsor, cautioned lawmakers that education funding commitments will continue to rise and that covering costs next year could require drawing as much as $415 million from the state education fund.

Analysts warn of a looming structural de cit, when growth in state spending, including on mandatory programs, will run up against caps imposed by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights or against a recession.

Colorado is also in the process of developing a new way to measure student poverty and may change

how it distributes money among schools, changes that may require more funding to avoid hurting some districts.

Meanwhile, funding Charter School Institute schools similarly to other schools is expected to cost more than $42 million. Lundeen said it’s an issue of fundamental fairness. State-authorized charter school students include new immigrants, pregnant and parenting teens, and other students who need signi cant support, yet these schools have had less money per-pupil.

But unlike the local revenue that districts share with their charters, there’s no dedicated funding source for state-authorized charters. e school nance act still needs to pass the full Senate and the House and could see yet more changes. It’s the only bill other than the budget that lawmakers must pass before they adjourn May 8.

Chalkbeat is a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.

The school finance act that passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee on April 19 includes a provision that would require the state to fully fund K-12 schools starting in the 2024-25 budget year. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Constutional requirement has not been met

PARKER’S FAVORITE WEEKEND!

FUN

THINGS TO DO:

• Enjoy your Favorite Festival Food

• Shopping Marketplace

• Music on Four Stages

• Culinary Demonstrations

• Street Performers

• Carnival Rides for the Whole Family

• Free Kids Crafts

• Artisan Demonstrations: Pottery, Painting, Weaving, Decorative Furniture, and Lacemaking

• Silent Disco – Dance, Dance, Dance!

• Get Dizzy in a Water Bubble

• Bungy Jumping

• Jump and Slide on the In atables

• Nurf Terf Battles (Nurf version of Paintball)

• All Aboard! Ride the Sunshine Express Train on Mainstreet

Groove Mazda MAIN STAGE – Live Music ALL Day HEADLINERS:

Friday, June 9 presented by 8:15 pm: Still They Ride (Journey Tribute Band)

Saturday, June 10 presented by 8:30 pm: Chris Daniels and The Kings

Sunday, June 11 presented by 5:15 pm: That Eighties Band

THANK

CARNIVAL RIDES & GAMES:

presented by

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Food, Beverage & Ride Tickets may be purchased at Festival Ticket Booths.