June 26, 2014
50 cents Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 148, Issue 29
A publication of
goldentranscript.net
Adopting an increase in funding
BOUNTIFUL BAGS
Jeffco Board of Education accepts the 2014-15 budget By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
Workers from Miller Farms dump another box full of squash on top of mounds of fresh vegetables at the Golden Farmers Market on Saturday, June 21. Customers paid $10 for a bag that they could fill full of their favorite veggies that included tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes and corn. Photo by Amy Woodward
Fireworks use reminder from sheriff ’s office Staff Report The Fourth of July holiday is one week away and fire restrictions have been lifted in Jefferson County. As a reminder, any device that explodes or leaves the ground is illegal in Colorado which includes firecrackers, cherry bombs, bottle rockets, M-80’s and Roman candles. All fireworks are prohibited in Jeffco Open Space Parks, Denver Mountain Parks and Forest Service lands. While unincorporated Jeffco as well as cities may allow for the use of sparklers, smoke devices, cone fountains and glow worms; other cities like Golden have banned the use of these types of fireworks. “While they might seem benign, there are injuries that can happen,” said Jerry Stricker, fire marshal for the City of Golden Fire Department. In 2012, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated around 8,700 people for fireworksrelated injuries, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Nearly three out of five of those injuries were burns, while 30 percent of the people seen were POSTAL ADDRESS
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS Apex Center Presents July Fourth Ice Cream Social The Apex Center located at 13150 West 72 Ave. is hosting an ice cream social 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Arvada. Along with free ice cream there is a bounce house. All activities are free with admission. Independence Day Celebration Starting at 4 p.m. there is an Independence Day Celebration at the Lutz/Stenger Sports Complex in Arvada. The entry is 58th Avenue and Oak Street. There will be live music, military display vehicles, games, face painting, human “Hamster” balls and a new portion of the event called “It’s all about me,” which is geared to those with some type of special needs. Breaks plus “Jet Car Nationals and Family Festival” The Bandimere Speedway, 3051 S. Rooney Road, Morrison, is having a Family Festival starting at 3 p.m. Gates at the
younger than the age of 15. The association also reported that the holiday accounts for two out of five of all reported fires, more than any other cause of fire. In 2011, fireworks caused an estimated 17,800 reported fires, including 1,200 structure fires, 400 vehicle fires, and 16,300 outside fires and others.
GOLDEN TRANSCRIPT
speedway open at 8 a.m. with racing throughout the day. Fireworks will take place at 9:45 p.m. For a more detailed schedule of the day visit www.bandimere.com. Lions Club July Fourth Festival Golden’s Lion Club is throwing a Fourth of July festival at 1300 10th St. The festival starts at noon and ends at 8 p.m. Weather permitting, the city’s fireworks show will follow. Face painting, rides for kids, live music and food will all be at the festival. Raffle tickets are being sold that give you a chance to win one of over 200 prizes. Fourth of July Celebration At Westminster’s City Park, 10455 Sheridan Blvd, a Fourth of July celebration will take place 3-10 p.m. New to the celebration this year is the Patriotic Bike Parade starting at 3 p.m. There will also be Colorado Car Show, activity zone and a concert by Soul X.
The Jeffco Sheriff’s Office released an announcement stating that deputies will strictly enforce illegal fireworks violations in unincorporated areas of the county. Any person caught selling, possessing or using illegal fireworks commits a class three misdemeanor and may face a fine of up to $750.
Debates over charters schools and kindergarten funding created tension over the adoption of the 2014-2015 budget. On June 19, the Jefferson County Board of Education majority (John Newkirk, Julie Williams and Ken Witt) voted 3-2 to adopt the $1 billion budget for the 2014-2015 school year. Led by the majority, the board made two key changes, giving an additional $4.8 million to the teacher compensation placeholder and $1.85 million to charter school equalization, prior to adopting the budget. This year, Jeffco’s budget received a 3.2 percent increase from last year’s $952 million. Moving into this next school year, the district will spend nearly $650 million for general fund expenditures and other uses, which is an increase of approximately $25 million from last year. Of that, approximately 79 percent of the general fund is used toward compensation, which with the additional $4.8 million given toward a 2.5 percent step increase for teachers, totals $520,420,700. “They (the board majority) came back on the $18.2 (million) for compensation,” said board member Lesley Dahlkemper on the evening’s budget discussion. “I was ready to make a motion on that placeholder to $18.2, and that’s why it was terrific when Mr. Newkirk brought that forward.” The negotiated agreement between the Jefferson County Educators Association and the district is currently in the fact-finding process. In the agreement, negotiators wanted to see a step increase for all teachers, but the board majority wished to see performance measures applied prior, only offering raises to highly effective teachers. This measure increases the total compensation placeholder to $18.2 million from $13.4 million, which includes step increases for both educators and certified school employees. Along with compensation increases, the majority also proposed increasing charter school funding, increasing per-pupil funding closer to what other students in the district are funded at. For the 2014-2015 school year, charter schools will receive an additional $5.5 million, and more than $60 million in the general fund expenditures overall, an increase of nearly $7 million from the 2013-2014 school year. The board also voted 3-2 to not fund free full-day kindergarten or reduce kindergarten class sizes. The boardmembers said lack of district-specific study on the effects of full-day kindergarten played into their decision. District staff said that the current feasibility of reducing kindergarten class
Budget continues on Page 8
(ISSN 0746-6382)
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