July 2, 2015
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VOLUME 91 | ISSUE 46
2015 WINNERS GUIDE LakewoodSentinel.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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One of the best parts about the summer classes is the teacherto-student ratio, and Sarah Bradon gets to work closely and creatively with her students to improve their reading and writing. Photos by Clarke Reader
Teacher Sarah Bradon (background) and JSEL coordinator Kim Ballantyne (foreground) work with students at Lasley Elementary during summer classes. The school has about 100 students who attend class from 8 a.m. to noon daily.
Early literacy program keeps minds active Teachers and students work on reading and writing at 12 sites By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com Summer school has shed its negative connotations to become a favorite time for teachers and students to work more closely on reading and writing. Jeffco Schools Foundation began its Jeffco Summer of Early Literacy (JSEL) program four years ago, and this year expanded to 30 Jeffco elementary schools at 12 sites to help more than 1,200 students improve literacy skills. “It’s pretty typical for teachers to notice a summer decline in reading. During the break, kids aren’t reading at home, and their parents aren’t able to engage with them,” said Robin Weikel, program coordinator with the foundation. “Not only do these classes prevent that summer slide, but nearly all the students make additional growth because the classes are so small and focused on the students.” The classes also help advanced students who are reading ahead of their grade levels
TIPS TO KEEP CHILDREN’S MINDS ACTIVE • Read to children and read with them. Parents should talk to their children about the books they are reading. The reading doesn’t have to be books; it can be magazines and newspapers or even the writing on food packaging. • Visit the neighborhood public library. • Let children help with tasks that require writing and reading, like making a grocery or chores lists. • Play games like finding all the letters of the alphabet around house. • When out, point to letters on signs (like the M in McDonald’s, or the E in Embassy Suites). This is called environmental print and can be done anywhere. — Suggestions by Denise Delgado, executive director of Jeffco Schools Foundation, and Kim Ballantyne, a JSEL coordinator.
get a jump start on the kind of work they will be doing in the fall. At Lasley Elementary in Lakewood, about 100 students participate in the class-
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT SUMMER SCHOOL? “I like when we get to do ‘Pop Se Koo’ (a brain break activity that gets everyone up and active) because we get to jump around.” — Daniel Heath, entering first grade “I like the reading, and I’m learning a lot, but my favorite part is the nap.” — Faith Velarde, entering first grade “I love the small class sizes and how they are grouped by levels. It’s short and sweet, because it’s not all day, but we’re doing a lot. We’ve been at this for two weeks, and I already have seen a difference.” — Sarah Bradon, teacher
es, which began June 11 and run through July 24. There are six classes for the students, and they are at the school from 8 a.m. to noon daily. While there, the students spend three hours in intensive and inventive work, learning about such topics as transition words through hands-on activities. “We offer not only the kids, but their parents and families, free breakfast and lunch
as part of the school day,” said Harry Chang, an administrative intern at Lasley. The meals give parents a chance to interact with their children and hear about what they’re learning. The JSEL program is structured not by grade level, but rather by reading level. So even though teachers are working with children of different ages, they are all facing the same challenges, which makes teaching easier. “The way classes are structured, we spend two days looking at a book to work on the reading aspect, and then the following two days doing other writing work,” said Carol Skinner, Lasley’s instructional coach. “There is both a structural and independent level of learning for students in the classes.” Students also have incentives and prizes — including Rockies and Bandimere tickets — to encourage attendance, Lasley Principal Lisa Nolan said. For the most part, however, student morale isn’t a problem. “Students go to schools near them, so they feel safe and comfortable in the buildings, and I can’t say enough about the low class sizes,” said Kim Ballantyne, a JSEL coordinator. “There are a lot of smiles because these kids are getting so much more oneon-one time, and teachers are able to tailor their instructions to specific students.”
Teacher pay climbs, but future uncertain Educators speak out after new plan announced By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com A recent agreement between Jefferson County schools and its teachers’ union gives a 1 percent increase to all teachers, sets starting salaries at $38,000 and adjusts to that base level the salaries of existing teachers earning less than new hires. District officials describe the compensation plan as a market move intended to help Jeffco be competitive, equalize pay and help attract new teachers. But some teachers say the plan falls short. “This is not going to help us keep our veteran teachers,” said Susan Coveyduck, an eighth-grade teacher at Golden’s Manning Option School who has taught in the district 20 years. “One-thousand people are being helped at the bottom of the pay scale … that’s maybe 20 percent. The rest of us 4,000 are getting the 1 percent — we can’t get by on the 1 percent.” The district employs 5,400 teachers. On June 18, the Jeffco Board of Education approved the agreement, called a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the teachers’ union, the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA). It
addresses a compensation issue that’s been stewing since teachers agreed to a 3 percent pay cut in 2011 to help the district weather the recession. Before the 2014-2015 school year, teachers also did not receive any pay increases. “I think key to the whole story, this is the gift that keeps on giving,” Jeffco Superintendent Dan McMinimee said about the compensation plan. “There were multiple issues that were addressed many years ago in budget cuts that now we’re trying to strategically put dollars back into the system at the places where we’re going to get the most benefit.” In the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 budget cycles, the board has allocated approximately $20 million towards compensation with JCEA and the Classified School Employees Association (CSEA), in an effort to restore some lost wages. “Conceptually, what we’re trying to do is not have people get jumped (salary wise) anymore in the first five years — that is demoralizing,” McMinimee said. “But that’s been happening for the last five years. I think the credit needs to go to our board of education for working with us and recognizing that we want to make sure that we are not having people get jumped anymore as other people come into our system.” Teachers’ union representatives did not return calls or emails for comment. Gifted and talented teacher Ben Hershelman, 32, said, at the moment, he is sat-
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the district and the teachers’ union regarding teacher compensation and the hiring of new educators states: * Initial salary offers for licensed staff with a bachelor’s degree will start at $38,000 with a 2 percent increase for each year of K-12 experience up to six years. * Those with master’s degrees will begin at $41,420 with the same increase. * New hires in hard-to-fill positions will begin at $44,840 with a 3 percent increase for each year of experience up to six years. * Current salaries will be compared with that of a new hire and raised to that level and/or paid based off of their evaluation rating. * Teachers rated highly effective and effective will receive a one-time stipend of 4.25 percent and 2.43 percent increase, respectively. * Teachers rated ineffective or partially effective will not receive a salary increase.
isfied with his salary of $46,000 a year. “I haven’t had the same experience as everyone else has because I have experienced pay increases just about every year,” he said of his seven years with the district. Hershelman began his career at a charter school and saw an increase when he ac-
AVERAGE TEACHER SALARIES ACROSS THE DENVER METRO AREA Jeffco Public Schools: $54,100.42 State of Colorado: $48,276.88 Neighboring districts: St. Vrain Valley Schools: $48,975.75 Boulder Valley Schools: $65,410.92 Cherry Creek Schools: $64,839.96 Denver Public Schools: $43,508.20 Douglas County Schools: $50,165.00 — Statistics from the Colorado Department of Education
cepted a position at Ralston Valley High School. He also received an increase based on his performance rating last year. Although the $38,000 base salary is attracting new teachers to the district, Hershelman said he worries about his family’s financial stability over the long term. He and his wife just had a baby. “I’d like a system where I could look three to five years in the future and see what my income might look like instead of waiting to see what my piece of the pie will be,” he said. “The question we have to ask Teacher continues on Page 5