Sentinel Northglen 7-4-13
Northglenn -Thornton
July 4, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ournorthglennnews.com, ourthorntonnews.com
Adams County, Colorado • Volume 49, Issue 47
Mapleton budget brings salary increases Funding set aside for more grade school teachers By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@ourcoloradonews.com
tween $1,000 to $2,000 annually during his rides. This year, however, he set a goal to reach $4,000, and it looks like he just may make it. He said he has turned in $3,300 to the National MS Society. “Colorado has one of the highest prevalence of MS in the nation, and symptoms most often appear ages 24 to 35; 73 percent of people diagnosed are women,” said Jeanine Spellman, who does public communications work for the society. “Although the cause and cure remain unknown, MS has gone from an untreatable disease just 20 years ago to having 10, FDA-approved treatments, thanks in part to research sup-
The just-approved 2013-14 budget for Mapleton Public Schools includes funding for salary and benefit increases and hiring more grade-school teachers. The Board of Education approved the budget during its June 25 regular meeting. The budget has a general fund balance of about $63.1 million, which is an increase of a little less than $5 million over last year’s budget. The increase stems from the expected growth of 355 students at Connections Academy, an online K-12 school, and a 1.9 percent increase in funding from the state. The district saw an increase in enrollment of 292 students, or 5.5 percent, during the 2012-13 school year. Officials expect 75 additional students for 2013-14 but did not budget for this potential growth. “Given the fiscal environment in the state, we have a strong financial picture,” said Superintendent Charlotte Ciancio. “Of course, in public education we have and continue to struggle with year-over-year decreases in our funding. We are a lean organization and are still limited in our ability to provide the breadth of services we believe our children deserve.” Per-pupil funding for Mapleton students is expected to slightly increase to $6,748 per student, up from $6,568.65 for the 2012-13 school year. The district is investing $550,000 to hire 10 additional kindergarten and first-grade teachers to decrease class sizes as part of the district’s Primary Program. “The program provides students who need additional time between (kindergarten) and second grade an opportunity to sharpen their skills and establish strong foundations for learning before hitting the standardized testing cycle,” Ciancio said. As part of its negotiating this year, the district and Mapleton Education Association have redesigned the salary structure, moving to salary ranges.
Bike MS continues on Page 21
Budget continues on Page 21
Seventy-year-old Thornton resident John Fedak completed a month-long, 2,200-mile bike ride from Denver to the Atlantic Ocean on June 11. Shown above, he celebrates on the beach in Brick, N.J. Fedak was joined by his riding teammates, Paul Schmeisser, also of Thornton, and Chuck Freeman, of Northglenn. Photo courtesy of John Fedak
Making a difference one spoke at a time Thornton man rides for miles to raise awareness about MS ‘I was inspired. I found something that I was able to do By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@ourcoloradonews.com John Fedak finished his 28th annual Colorado Bike MS Ride last weekend. The two-day trek from Westminster to Fort Collins was just a joy ride for the 70-year-old Thornton man compared to the month-long, 2,200-mile bike ride he took from Denver to the Atlantic Ocean he completed just a few weeks ago. “We met so many good people in middle America,” Fedak said of the cross-country ride he took with cycling partners Chuck Freeman, of Northglenn, and Paul Schmeisse, of Thornton. Although Fedak has been a dedicated participant for almost 30 years in bike rides to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis, he said his involvement started as a fluke. The retired home-construction superintendent was an avid runner until his knees started to give him trouble. So he took up
that could help others.’
John Fedak cycling and joined the first cycling event he could find, which happened to be a Colorado-Wyoming Chapter MS event 28 years ago. “I kept meeting people with multiple sclerosis, and it was phenomenal how upbeat they were for having a disease that was so debilitating,” Fedak said. “I was inspired. I found something that I was able to do that could help others.” According to the National MS Society, multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the central nervous system by disrupting the flow of information from the brain to the body. Neither a known cause or cure has been discovered. Through the years, Fedak has raised be-
Northglenn offers rebate for purchase of gun safes City reimburses up to 25-30 percent By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@ourcoloradonews.com The city of Northglenn is offering residents a rebate of up to $525 if they purchase a gun safe. City Council approved by an 8-1 vote during its June 24 regular meeting the implementation of the Gun Safe Rebate Program. Councilman Gene Wieneke, Ward IV, POSTAL ADDRESS
voted against the measure. While the city is still working on the specific mechanisms to put the program in place, residents will be reimbursed for safes purchased any time after June 24. The city will reimburse any resident up to 25 percent of the cost of a gun safe, up to a maximum rebate of $500, or up to 30 percent of the cost of a gun safe up to a maximum rebate of $525 if the gun safe is purchased from a Northglenn business. Wieneke said he was opposed to using public dollars that would not benefit the entire city.
“This is strictly to help a private person to get a safe to secure his guns that he voluntarily purchased and we’re using public dollars for that private purpose,” he said. Mayor Pro Tem Susan Clyne, Ward III, countered that the rebate program did benefit the entire community. “I think there is a public purpose in this because we want to ensure the safety in the event there is a break-in at the house and the guns are out on the street used by criminals,” she said. “That’s one reason the police department was so in favor of this; we wanted to
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control that illegal access to guns. And plus, if it helps protects kids, too, in the home, even better.” City staff still has to work out verification protocol — such as making sure the safe remains in the Northglenn home. City Attorney Corey Hoffmann said people would probably have to provide an affidavit as well as a receipt of purchase before getting the rebate. “Nothing is foolproof, but we’ll put as many mechanisms in place as possible to ensure that it’s a city resident, on city property, with one safe per property,” he said.
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