$1.00
August 13, 2020
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
JeffcoTranscript.com
VOLUME 37 | ISSUE 5
POMP AND PANDEMIC
Jeffco’s Class of 2020 grads finally get a graduation Pages 4-8
Union wants new committee to oversee Jeffco restart plan Educators rally over safety concerns with start of school now two weeks away BY CASEY VAN DIVIER CVANDIVIER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Signs of economic recovery in Jeffco but challenges remain Chamber head worries about possible new shutdowns BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
There are signs Jefferson County’s economy is recovering from the
depths it reached earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, although several indicators suggest the county has a long way to go before being back to where it was before the pandemic began. On July 28, Mary O’Neil, Jefferson County’s Director of Strategy Planning and Analysis, told the Jeffco commissioners that the county unemployment rate has been trending down from a high of 12.1% in April
to 10% in June. That decrease mirrors trends that are being seen at the state and national level with the national unemployment rate having decreased from 14.7% to 11.1%. The county unemployment rate had hovered between 2% and 3% in the six months prior to April. “Even though these rates are still SEE ECONOMY, P2
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
PERIODICAL
CLIMBING FOR A CAUSE
A University of Denver student summits peaks to help the homeless P14
Just two weeks before Jeffco’s 20202021 school year will begin, Jefferson County Education Association or JCEA, the local teachers union, plans to call on the district to change its process for planning students’ return to school. The union’s main ask is that teachers have more direct say in the district’s restart plan. As opposed to district leaders controlling the restart plan, the JCEA would like the district to create a committee of leaders, teachers and parents to have the authority over changing the plan. Jeffco Public Schools has spent the summer planning for the 2020-2021 school year (scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 24), amid unfamiliar health and safety guidelines from the state and county to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Potential plans have changed throughout the summer. On July 8 the district stated that all students would have the option to learn remotely or return inperson starting the week of Aug. 24. SEE RESTART, P2