CHECK IT OUT:
75 CENTS
February 16, 2017
Word spreading about tiny libraries P14
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Pleasant View Elementary will close
STEM SMARTS: Bell Middle
girls show off their science smarts with others P4
Peck, Swanson, Stober and Pennington elementary schools will stay open BY SHANNA FORTIER SFORTIER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
BEST IN BIZ: Annual chamber awards honor businesses and others who help make area great P5
Jeffco Board of Education will move forward with closing Pleasant View Elementary School in Golden next school year. Other schools that had been considered for closure — Peck Elementary in Arvada, Pennington Elementary in Wheat Ridge, Stober Elementary in Lakewood, and Swanson Elementary in Arvada — will stay open. “The most difficult decision any school district makes is a school closure,” said board member Ali Lasell. “I’m not looking forward to any closures.” The five elementary schools in Jefferson County were placed on a possible closure list following the Jan. 26 Board of Education budget cut discussion. The board made decisions on how to move forward at the Feb. 9 meeting, which drew 150 public speakers. The closure recommendations come after the the board named teacher compensation as its number one priority following the failure of ballot measures 3A/3B on November’s ballot. The proposed closures were part of an effort to save between $20 million and $25 million, with
GHS HOOPS: Demons get another win and prep for the postseason P21
SEE CLOSURE, P9
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘Our goal here is to select the strongest leader we can find moving Jeffco forward.’ Ron Mitchell, Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education | P26 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 21
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 151 | ISSUE 10