parker chronicle 0705 by Colorado Community Media

Chronicle Parker 7-5-13

Parker

Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 36

Smooth move

July 5, 2013 A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourparkernews.com

County teacher turnover declines School district figures show 380 departing By Jane Reuter

jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com A total of 380 teachers, or about 11.7 percent, of Douglas County teachers are leaving the school district this year. That figure is down from the 2012 turnover rate of 13.26 percent recorded by the Colorado Department of Education. Returning teachers were required to return contracts by June 23. After two spring protests surrounding the district’s new teacher evaluation program, and reports that large numbers of teachers would leave DCSD this year, the district report makes school board president John Carson very happy. “It validated what we’ve been hearing,” he said. Carson “The vast majority of teachers are staying. The TELL survey tells us they’re happy with their school environment. “These numbers are not large. If (departing teachers) wish to be vocal about it, it indicates they’re not happy. So we wish them well.” The state education department’s Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) survey showed 84.7 percent of DCSD teachers agree their school is a good place to work and learn. But it also showed 22 percent of teachers — more than twice the state average — planned to leave the district or the field of education entirely. The district’s recently released teacher statistics show those numbers did not come to fruition. Teachers’ union president Brenda Smith had a different take on the numbers. “Three hundred eighty teachers leaving is equivalent to 10 elementary schools losing their entire staff,” she said. “Most of these teachers leaving are experienced teachers with a record of accomplishment and close ties to the community. It is sad

Dawson Foster, 14, of Parker, does a tailwhip above the halfpipe at Railbender Park, a popular summer hangout for teenagers, on June 26. Photo by Chris Michlewicz

Sex assaults on children in news, but not new High-profile cases shed light on longtime problem By Ryan Boldrey

rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com Sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust is nothing new. Not in Douglas County, not anywhere else in the U.S. However, dating back to last summer, there have been four high-profile cases making their way through the 18th Judicial District Court in Castle Rock, involving three Douglas County School District teachers and a Highlands Ranch youth pastor. All four men in question — ranging in age from 26 to 41 — have been charged with or already pleaded guilty to some degree of inappropriate sexual contact on teenage children under their supervision and guidance. Deputy District Attorney Chris Gallo,

who specializes in cases involving crimes against children for the 18th, has been the lead prosecutor in all four cases. What may be most disturbing, he said, is that for every high-profile case, there are a dozen other cases that he prosecutes involving these types of crimes. “We’ve had a ton of others where we have charged a person in a position of trust who wasn’t a (leader) in the community,” Gallo said. “Whether it was a neighbor, an uncle, a stepfather, this abuse happens across economic lines, across social lines.” And while there appears to be an inordinate number of these crimes surfacing in the county lately, neither Gallo, District Attorney George Brauchler, nor Douglas County Sheriff’s Detective Mike Duffy sees an indication that there are more of these types of crimes per capita now than before. “I think in part, the stigma is slowly being taken away from this,” Brauchler said. He emphasized that more children who are victimized are seeing that the courts are not always going to side with the adult, and

with that, more victims are feeling empowered to come forward. “What I would hope the community takes from this,” he said, “is that we fight these cases maybe a little more aggressively than some of these other communities.” Duffy, one of five detectives on the DCSO Special Victims Unit that focuses on Internet and sexual assault crimes against children, also pointed to the county’s population boom as a factor in more cases turning up recently. “Increase in population is always going to increase your numbers,” he said. “The more schools you have, the more chances you have for these types of crimes occurring. It’s purely statistical.” That said, Duffy agreed that this is far from a recent problem in Douglas County. “I think that there is an increase of reporting (by victims) and an increase of attention being paid to the problem,” he said. “There’s been a bit of a culture change.” Assaults continues on Page 16

Turnover continues on Page 6

why teacherS are leaving dcSd • Retirement: 101 • Resignation other: 71* • Resignation to work for more money at another metro-area district: 62 • Resignation to move out of area: 61 • Resignation to care for family member: 26 • Resignation to work for a school district closer to home: 16 • Resignation involuntary: 12 • Resignation to work for more money in Denver metro-area private sector: 11 • Resignation to work for

private sector closer to home: 7 • Resignation personal conflict: 5 • Dismissal: 3 • Downsizing: 3 • Resignation due to program reduction: 1 • Deceased: 1 • Total: 380 Information provided by Douglas County School District * Reason other than those listed, such as career change, spouse relocation, stay home with children, etc.

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