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Parker Chronicle 11
January 23, 2015
School board presidents’ meeting sparks concern Jefferson County union reps believe their board may follow Douglas County’s lead By Jane Reuter
jreuter@colorado communitymedia.com A public gathering of five Colorado school board presidents sparked concern among some in Jefferson County who are uneasy about the direction their current school board may be heading. The Jan. 8 meeting at Jose O’Shea’s restaurant in Lakewood included Douglas County School Board president Kevin Larsen and Jefferson County School Board president Ken Witt, and the presidents of Steamboat Springs, Thompson and Adams 12 Five Star districts. Jeffco teachers’ union staff member Scott Kwasny photographed the men, after he said a parent eating at the restaurant alerted him and others after reportedly overhearing the men talking about teacher contracts. Because the five serve on different boards, they did not violate Colorado’s open-meetings law, which requires a gathering of three or more members of a local governmental body to be open to the public. “I know they are the presidents of the Tea Party reform boards in Colorado,” Kwasny said. “From my understanding, they were talking about contracts; that’s all I know.” Witt did not respond “yes” or “no” to questions from Colorado Community Media asking whether the board presidents discussed teacher contracts. He said most of the discussion was about school financing, testing and other education-related topics related to the Colorado legislative session. “I don’t recall a particular conversation about contracts,” he said. “I’m sure we discussed whatever was on our minds. That’s a Jeffco issue I’m not sure any of them care about.” Witt noted the day the men met was the same day the Colorado State Board of Education voted to let school districts seek waivers from March PARCC testing, and that was a central point of their discussion. “It was a great opportunity to sit down and chat with other boards about their thoughts around the PARCC waiver,” he
From left, school board presidents Kevin Larsen of Douglas County, Thompson’s Bob Kerrigan, Adams 12’s Mark Clark, Steamboat’s Roger Good and Jeffco’s Ken Witt meet in a Lakewood restaurant Jan. 8. Courtesy photo said. “I do my best to meet with every school board across the state, and will continue to do so.” Kwasny, communications director for the Jefferson County Education Association, said the association believes Jeffco plans to follow in Douglas County’s footsteps, eventually severing its contract with the teachers’ union and enacting other contentious reforms. “We’re expecting the same script to play out here in Jeffco,” said Kwasny. “We’ve had a collaborative relationship for 45 years, and we’re going to do everything we can to come out of it with a contract. “We’ve certainly benefitted from seeing (negotiations) play out in Douglas County, but I don’t know if the results will be different.” Witt, elected to the Jeffco school board in November 2013 with two other conservative candidates, said then the board had no intention of being Douglas County. Former DCSD assistant superintendent of secondary education Dan McMinimee, who led the ultimately unsuccessful 2012 Douglas County teachers’ union negotiations, was hired
as Jeffco’s superintendent in June 2014. The Jefferson County board declared during its Jan. 15 meeting its intention to negotiate a successful agreement with the teachers’ union, Witt said. “It’s my hope we can all work together and come up with the right contract terms to make sure we are aligned for an effective teacher in teach classroom, recognizing and rewarding great teachers, and efficiently using our resources to maximize academic achievement.” He added, “It takes two parties to arrive at an agreement.” Larsen said also did not recall discussing teacher contracts. “That’s just not what we’re (DCSD) focused on,” he said. “We have moved forward. That’s a decision they get to make.” Roger Good, president of the Steamboat Springs School Board, also said he could not remember such a conversation. “If there was, I don’t recall it,” he said. “We spent a great deal of time talking about the state board allowing options for testing.” Adams 12 Five Star board president Mark Clark said it was a brief get-together to discuss best practices and learn what is happening in other districts. “To me, it was just a chance to talk to my peers,” he said. “We were all drinking tea, so I guess it could be considered a tea party. But I don’t know their (the other presidents’) political stance; that’s not what we discussed. We were just talking about what’s best for our kids.” Larsen said he met the men met during December’s Colorado Association of School Boards annual convention, and they decided to meet again. “It’s called networking,” he said. “You reach out when there are issues of common interest. It’s timely and smart to be looking at issues we have in common, especially now that the legislative session has started. “Every district is unique, but we’ve got some things in common.” Larsen said the men met in a public place because they had nothing to hide. He also said his positions on education issues are not based on politics. “Some people may believe it and some may not, but everything I’m trying to do for Douglas County School District, I’m doing it to the best of my ability with the best interest of kids in mind,” Larsen said.
DCBA Kickoff, Legislative Preview As the 2015 legislative session begins, that South Metro Denver Chamber (SMDC) has joined a new organization to improve the efficacy and efficiency of its public policy outreach. Effective immediately, the Chamber has joined the Douglas County Business Alliance and the services of the Capstone Group. The Douglas County Business Alliance (DCBA) is a coalition of business organizations with a mission to provide a single voice for the Douglas County business community on business-related legislation focused on the following subjects: Transportation; Water; Business-Friendly Public Policy; Education; Tax Policy; Sustainable Development. The Douglas County Business Alliance is comprised of representatives from the following organizations: Castle Pines Chamber
of Commerce; Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce; Castle Rock Economic Development Council; Denver South Economic Development Partnership; Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce; Parker Chamber of Commerce; Parker Economic Development Council; South Metro Denver Chamber. The Capstone Group, whose services the DCBA utilizes, is a full-service public affairs and government relations team based in Denver, Colorado. “We are looking forward to partnering with our fellow DCBA members in utilizing the tremendous legislative services of Mary Marchun and the Capstone Group. Her organization provides comprehensive legislative reporting, lobbying services, and other important resources that we are eager to provide to our membership,” said Natalie Harden, SMDC director of
public policy and economic development. The Chamber participated in the DCBA Legislative Preview and Legislative Kickoff Receptions last week, both of which hosted numerous members of the incoming Colorado State Legislature. “The Capstone Group has a great reputation in the business and legislative communities and we look forward to working with them,” said Jeff Wasden, president of the Colorado Business Roundtable and SMDC Chair of Public Policy. Chamber members will have access to Capstone’s legislative updates through the bimonthly Prosper newsletter. For more information on the Chamber’s public policy committees please visit www.bestchamber.com or call 303-795-0142.
United Launch Alliance Concludes Banner Year After 14 successful launches, major milestones in 2014, ULA sets its sights on 2015 Centennial, Colo., (Dec. 29, 2014) – United Launch Alliance, the nation’s premier space launch provider, congratulates its employees, suppliers and customers on another successful year, reliably and affordably launching 14 satellites to orbit with 100 percent mission success. “What ULA has accomplished this year, in support of our customers’ missions, is nothing short of remarkable,” said ULA CEO Tory Bruno. “When you think about every detail – all of the science, all of the planning, all of the resources – that goes into a single launch, it is hard to believe that we successfully did it at a rate of about once a month, sometimes twice.” This year, ULA’s 14-mission manifest spanned: • 9 national security space missions, including four Global Positioning System satellites for the U.S. Air Force • 3 space exploration missions, including NASA’s first Exploration Flight Test for Lockheed Martin’s Orion spacecraft • 2 commercial missions, including DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-3, which provides the latest Earth imaging capabilities
Other major accomplishments in 2014 included: • The 51st successful launch of the Delta II • The 50th successful launch of the Atlas V • The 25th successful launch of the Delta IV • Twice successfully launching two different missions from two different coasts in one week • ULA’s 90th successful launch, an unmatched record of success “This year we were reminded just how hard rocket science can be,” said Bruno. “It takes a special group of people to be in this business, and I am truly humbled to work among dedicated individuals who have exhibited a total focus on precision, a passion for the science of rocketry and space, and a deep commitment to our purpose.” This year also marked the start of the five-year contract between United Launch Alliance and the Air Force, a best-practice, multi-year acquisition process that will save the government $4.4 billion, ensure significant operations efficiencies, and create the needed stability and predictability in the supplier and industrial base, while meeting national security space requirements. Additionally, this year ULA partnered
with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to develop a new domestic engine, an all-American rocket engine that will power ULA’s nextgeneration vehicles. The new engine, the BE-4, will lower the cost of launches and will meet both commercial requirements and those of the U.S. Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. Also this year, ULA and its partner, The Boeing Company, were selected to support NASA’s Commercial Crew program, sending critical cargo and the next generation of astronauts to the International Space Station. As America’s ride to space, ULA will launch Boeing’s manned CST-100 spacecraft by 2017, playing a pivotal role in advancement of human spaceflight. “It goes without saying: ULA had a banner year,” Bruno said. “As we look ahead to 2015, we could not be more honored to continue supporting our nation in one of the most technologically complex, critical American needs: affordable, reliable access to space.” For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com
Calendar of Events
For a complete calendar of South Metro Denver Chamber events and for more information, visit our web site at www.bestchamber.com or call 303-795-0142.
Monday, January 19 Save Lives, Sort Medical Supplies with Projects C.U.R.E. 7:00 pm – Project C.U.R.E 10337 East Geddes Ave., Centennial, CO Tuesday, January 20 Dr. Bernard Weinstein presents – “Will Falling Oil Prices Derail the Shale Revolution” 2:00 – 3:00 pm – South Metro Chamber’s WhippleWood CPAs Conference Center 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 342, Centennial, CO Thursday, January 22 Health & Wellness Council & CU presents: Medicine in the Time of Ebola 3:30 – 5:00 pm - South Metro Chamber’s WhippleWood CPAs Conference Center 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 342, Centennial, CO Friday, January 23 8th Annual State of the State Luncheon 11:30 am – 1:30 pm – Sheraton Denver Downton Hotel 1550 Court Pl., Denver, CO $50 Sunday, January 25 “Glen Campbell – I’ll Be Me” movie screening CU South Denver Liniger Building – The Wildlife Experience 10035 Peoria St., Parker, CO $10