June 26, 2014 Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 90, Issue 45 A publication of
lakewoodsentinel.com
Adopting an increase in funding Jeffco Board of Education accepts the 2014-15 budget By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
Bear Cubs - 3-5 year old children - search for insects during the first meeting of the new program at Bear Creek Lake Park. Photos by Clarke Reader
Nature for all ages
BCLP launches new summer programs By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com “OK everyone, put your bug glasses on!” With that phrase senior Bear Creek Lake Park naturalist Jody Morse greeted her first batch of Bear Cubs at the park before launching into an hour of songs, dancing, education and exploration. The Bear Cubs is one of two new senior naturalist-lead programs that BCLP is offering this summer to age demographics that sometime get left behind. The Bear Cubs is for children ages 3 to 5 and Sr. Naturalists is for residents ages 55 and older. “We’re hearing that seniors want more enrichment activities and these younger kids don’t want to have to compete with the older ones at our events,” Morse said. “Demographics are changing in Lakewood and we need to offer a variety of events to meet that.” Both programs will cover similar topics, from aquatic ecosystems to bats and bears, but will do so in different ways. Sr. Naturalists teaches through hands on education, programs and hikes and Bear Cubs through stories, songs and interactive programs. During the first Bear Cubs meeting, which focused on insects, Morse walked the children through how insects like
Senior Park Naturalist Jody Morse uses the help of Bennett, 4, to show how butterflies pollinate flowers. butterflies and bees pollinate plants and also covered the different “stinging insects” like bees and hornets. One of the most nerve-wracking moments came when Morse offered cheddar-cheese flavored larvettes to the adventurous eaters among the children. The children probably had the most fun when they were given nets and allowed to wander in a nearby grassy area, catching insects and then bringing them back to examine.
“He loves bugs,” said Lakewood resident Mandi Graw with a laugh, as she watched her four-year-old Bennett with his net. “This is a great way to get kids outside and keep their brains working for the summer.” The registration deadline is the Monday before each session. The cost is $5 per person per session and the park entrance fee is waived. For more information call 303-6976159 or visit www.lakewood.org.
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS Apex Center Presents July Fourth Ice Cream Social The Apex Center located at 13150 West 72 Ave. is hosting an ice cream social 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Arvada. Along with free ice cream there is a bounce house. All activities are free with admission. Independence Day Celebration Starting at 4 p.m. there is an Independence Day Celebration at the Lutz/Stenger Sports Complex in Arvada. The entry is 58th Avenue and Oak Street. There will be live music, military display vehicles, games, face painting, human “Hamster” balls and
a new portion of the event called “It’s all about me,” which is geared to those with some type of special needs. Breaks plus “Jet Car Nationals and Family Festival” The Bandimere Speedway, 3051 S. Rooney Road, Morrison, is having a Family Festival starting at 3 p.m. Gates at the speedway open at 8 a.m. with racing throughout the day. Fireworks will take place at 9:45 p.m. For a more detailed schedule of the day visit www.bandimere.com. Lions Club July Fourth Festival Golden’s Lion Club is throwing a Fourth of July festival at 1300 10th St. The fes-
tival starts at noon and ends at 8 p.m. Weather permitting, the city’s fireworks show will follow. Face painting, rides for kids, live music and food will all be at the festival. Raffle tickets are being sold that give you a chance to win one of over 200 prizes. Fourth of July Celebration At Westminster’s City Park, 10455 Sheridan Blvd, a Fourth of July celebration will take place 3-10 p.m. New to the celebration this year is the Patriotic Bike Parade starting at 3 p.m. There will also be Colorado Car Show, activity zone and a concert by Soul X.
Debates over charters schools and kindergarten funding created tension over the adoption of the 2014-2015 budget. On June 19, the Jefferson County Board of Education majority (John Newkirk, Julie Williams and Ken Witt) voted 3-2 to adopt the $1 billion budget for the 2014-2015 school year. Led by the majority, the board made two key changes, giving an additional $4.8 million to the teacher compensation placeholder and $1.85 million to charter school equalization, prior to adopting the budget. This year, Jeffco’s budget received a 3.2 percent increase from last year’s $952 million. Moving into this next school year, the district will spend nearly $650 million for general fund expenditures and other uses, which is an increase of approximately $25 million from last year. Of that, approximately 79 percent of the general fund is used toward compensation, which with the additional $4.8 million given toward a 2.5 percent step increase for teachers, totals $520,420,700. “They (the board majority) came back on the $18.2 (million) for compensation,” said board member Lesley Dahlkemper on the evening’s budget discussion. “I was ready to make a motion on that placeholder to $18.2, and that’s why it was terrific when Mr. Newkirk brought that forward.” The negotiated agreement between the Jefferson County Educators Association and the district is currently in the fact-finding process. In the agreement, negotiators wanted to see a step increase for all teachers, but the board majority wished to see performance measures applied prior, only offering raises to highly effective teachers. This measure increases the total compensation placeholder to $18.2 million from $13.4 million, which includes step increases for both educators and certified school employees. Along with compensation increases, the majority also proposed increasing charter school funding, increasing per-pupil funding closer to what other students in the district are funded at. For the 2014-2015 school year, charter schools will receive an additional $5.5 million, and more than $60 million in the general fund expenditures overall, an increase of nearly $7 million from the 2013-2014 school year. The board also voted 3-2 to not fund free full-day kindergarten or reduce kindergarten class sizes. The boardmembers said lack of district-specific study on the effects of full-day kindergarten played into their decision. District staff said that the current feasibility of reducing kindergarten class sizes was unknown. Among the charter school equalization and teacher compensation, the board also placed around $3.8 million towards primary math and literacy goals. “I’m delighted that through this year Budget continues on Page 3
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