May 21, 2015
CONGRATULATIONS Class of
VO LUM E 1 0 | IS S UE 51
2015
SPECIAL TRIBUTE INSIDE ArvadaPress.com A publication of
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Courts rule in union favor Judge rules to halt payment plan for some newly hired teachers By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
Students of Adams Camp, a camp for people with special needs, get ready to race around the National Sports Center for the Disabled’s NSCD Moves! obstacle course on May 15 at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse in Lakewood. The National Sports Center for the Disabled brought its NSCD Moves! obstacle course to the to the field house for Adams Camp participants. The course, which focuses on improving a number of skills both physically and mentally, was developed to get people moving, said Alena Lewis, program coordinator for the sports center. But it’s fun and promotes teamwork, she added. Adams Camp, a nonprofit organization that serves children and adults with special needs and developmental disabilities, is popular for its five-week summer trips to a ranch near Winter Park, said Therapy Manager Kim Kelleher, but it also offers fun activities throughout the year. “After kids come to camp,” she said, “they form new friendships, grow in confidence, learn to take risks and expand their horizons by trying something new.” To learn more about Adams Camp, visit www.adamscamp.org. To learn more about the National Sports Center for the Disabled, visit www.nscd.org. Photo by Christy Steadman
Used children’s gear gets new purpose Kid to Kid service does good things for community By Crystal Anderson
canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com
F
or Arvada Kid to Kid owner Todd Frick, his business is not just about keeping children looking fashionable and feeling happy, but about giving back to those around you in big ways. “It is part of my faith to give back,” Frick said. “It’s a way for us to use this tool (his stores) that God has given us to give back to others.” It was in 2012 that Frick and his wife opened Arvada’s Kid to Kid, a children’s resale store located at 7310 W. 52nd Ave. Servicing newborns through a child’s size 12, Kid to Kid resells clothing, shoes, accessories, costumes, toys and some baby gear, such as furniture, to families across the Front Range. “I love my kids to have great fashion but at a good price,” said Selena Blanco, a longtime Kid to Kid customer. “I recycle, reduce and reuse… and they go above and beyond typical customer service.” Through their children’s clothing business, Frick and his team have been able to put money back in the pockets of families throughout the city, but they’ve also given thousands to Front Range communities and organizations around the world. “Much of what is brought to us is not quality enough for us to resell but it still has good use left in it,” he said. “We try and do as much as we can … but it’s the things where we get to give back to individuals or groups or international charities that give it some purpose, the purpose behind what we do.” This year, as part of its mission, the store participated in a franchise-wide sale benefiting the BuildOn organization, a nonprofit that builds schools in impoverished countries around the world. For $15, customers were able to fill a bag with as many items as they wished during the one-day sale, with all proceeds going to build a school in Senegal, Africa. According to a recent Kid to Kid release, the store and its sister store in Aurora raised $4,500 for the organization.
Sifting through piles of clothing and accessories, families searched for products to filling their bags to the brim at the April BuildOn sale. Courtesy photo Aside from its daily sales and fundraisers, Kid to Kid Arvada gives back donated clothing and accessories it isn’t able to resell to organizations such as The Gathering Place and the Denver Rescue Mission, among others, on a Gear continues on Page 9
A Jefferson County Court granted parts of the Jefferson County Education Association’s request for an injunction that would halt the implementation of Jeffco School district’s new hire compensation plan. Judge Christopher Zenisek’s ruling temporarily stops the implementation of the initial salary payment schedule for educators hired into the district on or after May 1. The schedule, part of the larger compensation plan approved by the board on Sept. 4, approves salary increases for some educators — paying them thousands more than some of the district’s veteran teachers. “Today is a victory for hard-working Jeffco teachers who have sacrificed our own pay through pay freezes and reductions to help the school district weather the recession,” said JCEA President John Ford. “To offer thousands of dollars more to new teachers while neglecting to honor your promises to your current teaching staff is inexcusable.” However, educators hired before May 1, which account for 60 of the district’s 300 vacancies, may be paid what was offered. It remains uncertain what salaries teachers with advanced degrees, hired after the May 1 date, would receive. “We are pleased that the court recognized the authority of the school board to adopt and implement a compensation plan that rewards effective teachers, and that the court ruled favorably on the district’s efforts to hire new employees pursuant to the Board’s plan,” said Jeffco Public Schools spokesperson Lisa Pinto. Zenisek’s ruling also requires a trial to be set within one calendar year to address JCEA’s full lawsuit. In 2011, Jeffco teachers took a 3 percent pay cut and salary freeze rather than see budget cuts to help retain programming and services for students during the recession. Currently in the middle of negotiations, the two parties are working together to develop a new negotiated agreement, which must take the injunction into consideration. “Moving forward, the issue of competitive salaries for current employees and new hires shifts from the courtroom to the bargaining table where it belongs, and we’re looking forward to productive discussions with the JCEA about how to maintain Jeffco’s position in the marketplace,” Pinto said. “We expect the JCEA to be a willing partner in the effort to recruit and retain the very best teachers for our students. “ The injunction is part of the association’s larger suit against the district for alleged repeated wage, benefit and condition violations of the two’s 2011 negotiated agreement. According to the lawsuit, JCEA is requesting that the courts grant several orders stating the district violated their agreement and duty to bargain in good faith, as well as this injunction, an order requiring the district to pay for any attorney fees and costs incurred and any other legal and equitable relief the court finds applicable. Ford said, for the association, it’s about appreciating the work teachers do. “We, as educators in Jeffco, value our students and community, and are asking the district to value us and the sacrifices that we have all made out of our dedication to our neighborhood schools and our students.”