April 14, 2016 VO LUM E 29 | IS S U E 21 | FREE
HighlandsRanchHerald.net A publication of
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
How will Colorado meet workforce demand? A special report by Colorado Community Media Staff report With the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the nation, 3 percent, Colorado has made mountainous gains when it comes to economic development following the recession that struck in December 2007 and lingered for years. Businesses are flocking to the Centennial State, and Coloradans are finding work. But employers increasingly are finding it difficult to find the right workers to fill their jobs. Metro North Chamber of Commerce
President Angela Habben said, at least in her organization’s part of the Denver area, the workforce isn’t meeting the market demand. “Either employers can’t find workers willing to do the job or they can’t find prospects with the training required to meet position qualifications,” she said. Simon Fox, deputy director of Business and Funding Initiatives for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, said the demand is great for wokers in the fields of information technology and skilled trades. “There aren’t enough welders or carpenters,” he said. Democratic and Repbulican state
lawmakers are working together to address this. The 10 bills comprising a bipartisan package called Colorado Ready to Work are making their way through the Legislature. The overriding theme is creating partnerships between the business and education communities, with the goal of developing a workforce that can meet Colorado’s growing and changing demands. For many business leaders, measures like these can’t be passed soon enough, given the massive growth the Denver metro area figures to see in coming years. “That’s a real supply-and-demand dilemma if we don’t act soon,” Habben said.
INSIDE
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
On pages 6 and 7, we take a look at the Colorado Ready to Work package, and at what is being done now to train the workforce in the face of growing and changing demand.
New teacher turnover data reflects promotions Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said the ‘conditional’ figures are a better measure By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Mountain Vista’s Landon Nolta talks with 3-year-old Tobi Herman after the Golden Eagles’ 18-4 win over Kent Denver on April 6 at Shea Stadium. Photo by Jim Benton
‘We have come together’ Mountain Vista boys lacrosse players do their best to honor memory of former coach By Jim Benton jbenton@coloradocommunitymedia.com Mountain Vista’s boys lacrosse team huddles prior to the start of each game and chants, “We are family. You can count on me, I can count on you.” “We are family” is a team motto introduced two years ago by Jake Herman when the Mountain Vista science teacher took over as head coach. Herman died in January at the age of 38, leaving behind his wife Erin and two children, 5-year-old Paul and 3-year-old Tobi. Mountain Vista has been playing and practicing this season with Herman on their mind.
“You never want to lose a guy like coach Herman,” said senior goalie Paxton Boyer. “It was tough. We had to make something good out of it because that’s what he would have wanted us to do. We have come together. “He instilled `We are family’ when he came in my sophomore year. We keep doing that in remembrance of him.” Erin Herman now understands why her husband embraced the team motto. “The team motto `We are family’ is truer to me now than it ever has been,” she said. “The truth is these kids have always been a part of our family. They were the center of all of Jake and my conversations. Now, the stories are not secondhand from Jake. “I am part of these players’ lives and they are part of mine. We depend on each other to get through the griev-
ing process. I promised the team that I would be with them all season. I am not coach but I will love and support them as much as he did. They are my family and I am very proud of each and every one of them.” Mountain Vista players have become caretakers of sorts for the Hermans’ children. “They are two great kids,” said senior Noah Hirshorn. “They are awesome to be around. They are smiling, runErin Herman ning around and having fun. With the whole thing that happened, we needed to find each other.” Erin Herman, who often hugs coaches and players, can feel the togetherness. Lacrosse continues on Page 27
A more detailed state report on teacher turnover revealed that 186 teachers in the Douglas County School District were promoted or took other positions within the district during the 2015-16 term. The Colorado Department of Education released “conditional turnover” figures on April 7. Conditional turnover excludes teachers or other personnel who left a job for another one within the same school district. Douglas County’s overall teacher turnover rate is 19.7 percent, but the percentage of teachers who left the district is lower, 14.4 percent. Of the 687 DCSD teachers who changed jobs during the reporting period, 501 teachers left both their job position and the district, while 186 stayed in the district but switched positions or were promoted to a different job category. This is a change in reporting methodology for the state from years past. “I’m so appreciative to CDE for taking the time to expand upon the data,” Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said. “For a long time that set of data has been confusing to our community. It was not an accurate representation of turnover in our district.” CDE continues on Page 8
LOCAL SPORTS Find out how area teams fared in our weekly roundup. PAGE 25