May 21, 2015
VOLU ME 31 | ISSU E 47 | 50 ¢
CONGRATULATIONS Class of
2015
SPECIAL TRIBUTE INSIDE WheatRidgeTranscript.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Courts rule in union favor Judge rules to halt payment plan for some newly hired teachers By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
The Stand Up Paddleboard Race, which took place May 15 at Soda Lakes in Bear Creek Park, was one of 10 events offered this year as part of the fifth-annual Golden Games. The games are put on locally the weekend before Memorial Day weekend, to promote all water sports, said event organizer Troy Harcourt. Photo by Christy Steadman
POSTAL ADDRESS
Golden does its part to ‘stamp out hunger’ Community drive collects record amount of food By Christy Steadman
csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com
WHEAT RIDGE TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 1089-9197)
OFFICE: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Wheat Ridge Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210, Golden, CO 80401. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 722 Washington Ave., Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legals: Fri. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 5 p.m.
The U.S. Postal Service’s annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive happened in Golden on May 9 this year. The food drive is a nationwide event, with the local efforts benefiting the Golden-based Christian Action Guild, which is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization. The nonprofit exists to “provide immediate crisis assistance to persons residing in Golden … through contributions made by the community,” according to its mission statement. To learn more about the organization, visit www.christianactionguild.org. Despite the cold and rain, this year’s drive was a success, said volunteers with the Christian Action Guild — it yielded nearly twice the amount of food that had been donated in recent years.
21,000
FOOD DRIVE BY THE NUMBERS
— amount of food, in pounds, that was collected for the food drive
19,792 — population of Golden*
13,000 — number
of collection bags sent to Golden residents
50-60 — number of
PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
Paul Brennecke, a volunteer with the Christian Action Guild in Golden, helps put away food on May 11 that was donated by Golden residents for the postal service’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which took place on May 9. Christy Steadman Courtesy photo
Lions Club volunteers on May 9; at the Christian Action Guild center, volunteers were provided a large spread of sandwiches, cookies, veggie platters, chips, candy, water, soda, hot chocolate and coffee
9 — number of truckloads
of food delivered to the Christian Action Guild center on May 9
volunteers, including the Golden Lions Club, postal workers and Christian Action Guild volunteers, who dedicated their time to the effort
— average number of hours a volunteer worked on May 9 to accept the food donation deliveries
12
4 — number of months it
— number of pizzas delivered to the post office for postal workers and Golden
5-9
took for the project to be complete, including three
months of planning; it was estimated that about a month will be needed to organize the food bank
1.40
— amount of rainfall, in inches, that accumulated in Golden on May 9, while snow and sleet totaled 4.65 inches that day** * 2013 statistic, according to the Colorado State Demography Office ** According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, center for environmental information — All other information provided by Christian Action Guild volunteers
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.”