August 6, 2015
46th Annual
VOLUME 149 | ISSUE 35 | 50¢
Festival Guide Inside GoldenTranscript.net J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Student project inspires overhaul of skate park Council awards redesign to firm with X Games experience By Christy Steadman
csteadman@colorado communitymedia.com
After Jaime Diaz moved to Golden in 2010 and started studying at Colorado School of Mines, he’d visit Ulysses Park near South Golden Road, the city’s lone skate park, to ride the halfpipe and enjoy SKATERS: SHARE time away from the rigYOUR WISH LIST ors of class. WITH TEAM PAIN “I realized it was a Team Pain is hosting a community little outdatforum to hear from local skaters ed,” he said. about what their ideal skate park “There are a would include. The event takes lot of skateplace at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the boarders in Golden Community Center, 1470 Golden. At 10th St. the end of the day, it’s about having fun and pushing yourself to do something you really love to do.” So Diaz, now working on a master’s degree in engineering, decided his undergraduate project for his senior design class Skate continues on Page 5
Max Cannalte shows off a trick at the Golden skate park in Ulysses Park. “Team Pain is a serious skate park builder,” he said of the firm chosen to redesign the outdated facility. “They know what they’re doing. I’ve skated multiple of their parks, and they don’t have flaws. But I appreciate having a park out here. Anything’s better than nothing.” Photo courtesy of Nik Smith
Teachers, parents, district debate teacher turnover POSTAL ADDRESS
Reasons for departures range from basic life decisions to district culture By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
GOLDEN TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 0746-6382)
OFFICE: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Golden Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210, Golden, CO 80401. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 722 Washington Ave., Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legals: Fri. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 5 p.m.
PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
The end of the 2013-2014 school year saw 710 of Jefferson County Schools’ 4,830 teachers leave their jobs — the highest teacher turnover rate in an eight-year period and a 5.4 percentage-point increase since the 2010-2011 school year. The 14.7 percent turnover rate, based on reports from the Colorado Department 2013-2014 TEACHER of EducaTURNOVER RATES tion and the school disLittleton — 8.3 % trict, is lower Boulder — 9.4% than the Cherry Creek — 9.3% state teacher Jeffco — 14.7% turnover Douglas County — 16.7% average of State average — 17.1 % 17.1 percent. Denver Public Schools — 21.7% Although Source: Colorado Department of Education individual district numbers for the 2014-2015 school year won’t be delivered to the CDE until December, the state’s teacher turnover rate for that year is estimated to be 16.6 percent, according to the department’s data specialist. “While Jefferson County historically has had a teacher turnover rate lower than the state average, the gap is the lowest it has been within the past five years,” said Megan McDermott, the CDE’s assistant director of communications. That shrinking gap has many parents and teachers worried about what they say is an increasing exodus of teachers. They blame the school board for changes in teacher pay and evaluations, the hiring of Superintendent Dan McMinimee, a controversial proposed review of the district’s Advanced Placement U.S. History course and a lack of respect and transparency by
the conservative board majority elected in 2013. “From an insider’s perspective, there are hundreds of people looking,” said Barb Aswege, a Jeffco teacher who will be an assistant principal in Boulder County this fall. “It’s just a matter of whether they get that position or not.” Although several district staff said the turnover rate is not abnormal, McMinimee said he is concerned. “I don’t think anybody likes to see people leave their system and then say mean things about what’s going on in the system,” he said. “I’m trying to take care of … the people who still want to be here and focus on what we can do in the future — how can we retain people, how can we make our classrooms great places for students.” With just 11 days until the start of the new school year, the teachers’ union and the district have still not signed a contract — the current contract expires Aug. 31. A negotiation meeting is scheduled for today, Aug. 6. Jeffco United for Action, a citizen-action group, also has collected more than twice the number of signatures needed to hold a recall election of the majority members of the school board — Ken Witt, John Newkirk and Julie Williams. The county clerk is in the process of validating those signatures. The CDE numbers don’t explain why teachers left. But a number of interviews with principals, teachers and district staff indicate Jeffco teachers are leaving for a variety of reasons: • Life decisions: Some teachers have purchased homes outside the district, had a child, followed spouses in their respective careers or retired. • District culture: Tension in schools and among staff about new board policies and decisions and uncertainty about how the future will look has prompted some to seek other opportunities. • Career advancement: Some teachers are seeking higher-paying positions, such as administrative or advanced teaching roles, that move them up the ladder. “The amount of stress and pressures teachers in Jeffco have right now — outside of the board Turnover continues on Page 10
Drones fly above raceway, show up in police work Golden police expect to buy first drone by end of year By Christy Steadman csteadman@colorado communitymedia.com
Whether for investigations conducted by law enforcement agencies or for media purposes at large-event venues, organizations consistently say drones can be a valuable tool. “It’s going places where photographers aren’t allowed—including above the racetrack,” said Jeff Sipes, media relations with Bandimere Speedway in Morrison. “We’re able to capture angles that we couldn’t before.” By the end of the year, the Golden Police Department expects to buy its first drone, which Police Chief Bill Kilpatrick prefers to refer to as an unmanned aerial vehicle. “There are a lot of positive uses for it,” he said. “It adds a tool that we haven’t had before.” Use of drones is an expanding trend throughout the country, state and Front Range as public services, event venues, the military, the agriculture and farming industry, construction job sites and hobbyists begin to find uses for them. In Jefferson County, law enforcement and first responders are excited about the potential to help investigations — from photographing accident scenes to search-and-rescue operations. And event organizers like drones because they make it easy to access vantage points that would have been costprohibitive in the past, providing them Drones continues on Page 8