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6 Highlands Ranch Herald
February 13, 2014
School board meeting attendance capped Number of chairs available to audience is 87 By Jane Reuter
jreuter @coloradocommunitymedia.com
People sat on the floor and stood during the packed Jan. 21 school board meeting. Former board candidate Julie Keim was among those who stood throughout the three-hour-plus meeting. Photo by Jane Reuter
After a standing-room-only crowd overflowed the board’s Castle Rock chambers during its Jan. 21 meeting, the Douglas County School District made the call to restrict attendance at its meetings to those who are seated. Though fire code allows a total of 145 people in the room, a total of 87 chairs now will be available for audience members. Those who cannot find a seat will not be allowed to attend the meeting, according to security staff. Though there was no formal action taken on the matter, security guards at the Feb. 4 meeting told some audience members about the change as they entered the meeting — the first board meeting since Jan. 21.
DCSD spokeswoman Paula Hans said that given the current boardroom set up, “including space for media and other code requirements, a maximum of 87 chairs can be placed in the room.” The change was prompted by safety concerns, DCSD leaders said, and is not an effort to limit attendance. During the Jan. 21 meeting, audience members sat on the floor and stood. Still more people stood in a hall outside the meeting room. A series of controversial changes instituted by the school board in the last few years regularly have brought a deluge of concerned community members to the group’s meeting. Standing-room-only school board meetings have not been uncommon. “Concerns about public participation are unfounded,” Hans wrote in an email. “Public outreach in DCSD has never been more robust than now.” For instance, under new board president Kevin Larsen’s direction, public comment time has been expanded from two to three
minutes per person. Also under Larsen, the board is introducing its “Board Unplugged” meetings, with the first one scheduled for March 3 at Parker’s Cimarron Middle School. Though it will be an evening meeting, the start time has not been set yet. The meetings are a new effort to connect on a more informal level with community members, board members say, and a return to the types of meetings the group once held quarterly at various schools throughout Douglas County. The March 3 meeting substitutes for the board’s first regular meeting of the month, and is the first of three the board plans through the end of the school year. The second meetings in March, April and May — set for 7 p.m. each third Tuesday — will be held in the board meeting room of DCSD’s administration building in Castle Rock. There will be “Board Unplugged” meetings on the first Tuesday each of those months at various locations throughout the district.
No applications yet filed for board vacancy President not worried about lack of candidates to fill seventh seat By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia. com Douglas County School Board President Kevin Larsen said he isn’t worried about filling the board’s current vacant seat, though no one so far has applied to fill it. The deadline for applications is Feb. 21. “I want to have many good candidates to choose from,” Larsen said. “Even if there are no applications in yet, I’m certainly aware of people who are considering applying. My suspicion is many people may be inclined to wait until the very last moment to submit.” If the seat isn’t filled within 60 days after it is officially declared vacant — which the board did on Jan. 21 — Colorado state statute allows a school board president to appoint a replacement. That’s not something Larsen wants to do. “If we know going into the final week we haven’t yet had anybody, we’d make sure to step up our efforts to get people to come out,” he said. Six-year board member Justin Williams submitted his resignation Jan. 6, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and making his removal effective immediately. When former board member Dan
Gerken resigned in early 2013, only two people initially applied for the seat. The school board extended the application deadline a week, eventually getting 15 applications and conducting extended public interviews among six finalists. Larsen acknowledges people may be hesitant to throw a hat in the ring. Since 2009, the school board has often enacted controversial policies aimed at fast-paced education reform. Those changes have been both praised and criticized, and those strong opinions were reflected in the November 2013 board election. “I think a lot of people give it very deep thought,” Larsen said, noting board members are scrutinized and expected to devote long hours to the volunteer position. “This is for me a fun position, but you’ve got to be ready for the big leagues. This is not for the meek or thin-skinned.” Potential candidates must live in District F, which includes portions of eastern and southern Parker and some of Elbert County. The position will expire in November 2015. All seven current board members support the district’s controversial education reform policies, which the four unsuccessful candidates challenged. Many community members who supported the alternative candidates are advocating for a new member who represents their views. Larsen said the board will choose Williams’ replacement carefully. “There’s no predisposition, and there are no slam dunks,” he said.
THE DENVER CONCERT BAND SATURDAY February 22 7:30 p.m.
under the direction of Jacinda Bouton
Presents its Guest Artist Concert
“Road Trip”
Adults $13 16 & under $8 (includes LTAC handling charge)
Parking is free in the LTAC parking lot.
FEATURING ADAM FREY
Internationally-acclaimed Euphonium Virtuoso To reserve seats by phone: 720.509.1000 or online at lonetreeartscenter.org
Lone Tree Arts Center
10075 Commons St., Lone Tree, CO 80214 www.lonetreeartscenter.org