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September 5, 2014 VOLU M E 1 2 | I SS UE 44
ParkerChronicle.net A publication of
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
School funding all over the map Formula factors in size of district, student poverty By Jane Reuter
jreuter @coloradocommunitymedia.com The Douglas County School Board long has expressed dissatisfaction with the state’s education funding, saying county residents shoulder an unfair tax burden. It is not alone in concerns about K-12 funding. A Colorado Department of Education official said the department’s complex formula for school districts has changed little in 20 years, but is designed to fac-
WHAT THEY’RE GETTING Estimated 2014-15 per-pupil funding for a sampling of Colorado school districts (after the negative factor): District Amount Branson $6,557 (lowest in state) Lewis-Palmer $6,661 Douglas $6,752 Littleton $6,758 Jeffco $6,842 Cherry Creek $6,947 Pawnee $15,567 (highest in state)
SMOKIN’ GOOD TIME
tor in changes within districts. “We’ve been using this formula since 1994. There have been some little tweaks around the edges, but there haven’t been significant changes,” said Leanne Emm, the CDE’s assistant commissioner for school finance. “I think it depends on what kind of district you live in whether you like the formula or not. “But the formula does adjust, or attempts to adjust, for the demographics within individual districts.” What has changed since 1994 — and angered school leaders statewide — is a recession-driven legislative cut to K-12 funding called the negative factor. Since 2010, it has reduced K-12 funding statewide by about $1 billion annually. Under Colorado’s formula, funding for every district starts at the same amount. For 2014-15, that base perpupil funding is $6,121. From there, district-specific calculations are made, based mostly on cost of living, size of the district and number of students living in poverty. Douglas County has a relatively high cost of living and a low number of povFunding continues on Page 11
From left, Ken King and Cliff Louchrey of Golden Toad in Highlands Ranch cook shrimp and sausage skewers Aug. 30 at Parker’s Smokin’ Brew BBQ competition.
Traffic volumes have grown by 12 percent in the past year on E-470, a toll way once referred to as “the road to nowhere.” Photo by Chris Michlewicz
E-470 traffic grows at speedy pace Officials planning for more motorists in next 5-10 years By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com An increasing number of motorists on E-470 has tolling-authority officials considering ways to brace for the future. E-470 has so far tallied a 12 percent jump in users over last year and consistently set daily records in July, including a single day in which 248,000 transactions were made. The figures are defying expectations and putting into motion initiatives aimed at getting a better look at what’s to come. The tolling authority — run by board members representing the eight jurisdictions that the highway passes through — is launching its first full traffic and revenue study since 2008 to “get a baseline on where things are going,” said John McCuskey, executive director of E-470. Research will focus on everything from highway efficiency during peak traffic
hours to the economic development taking place along the corridor. The Parker Road interchange, in particular, has caught the attention of those who oversee day-to-day operations on the highway. In Cottonwood just to the north, King Soopers is coming back with its marketplace concept, and there are plans to develop the land directly to the east for Vantage Point, which will contain 900 apartments and a handful of retail businesses. A senior living facility and Boondocks Family Fun Center will also open near E-470 and South Parker Road, and McCuskey expects all of the development to have a positive effect on the highway. Likewise, the Compark area near E-470 and Chambers Road has seen the arrival of manufacturers, retail outlets and medical companies in the last few years. The stretch of E-470 between Interstate 25 and South Parker Road is the most heavily traveled. “The growth we’ve seen down there has just been tremendous,” McCuskey said. National chains have taken a close look at repurposing the old toll plazas into gas E-470 continues on Page 20
Bass player Rich Sallee and vocalist Larea Edwards of the Catfish Kray Blues Band entertain the crowd.
Denver’s Jasmine Hidalgo, 3, gets some air time on the bungee jump trampoline at Parker’s Smokin’ Brew BBQ.
Tantalizing smells filled the air in Parker during the three-day Smokin’ Brew BBQ contest over Labor Day Weekend. For the second year running, Kansas’ TrueBud BBQ emerged the grand champion with more than 50 participants taking part. Texas-based Johnny Trigg and the Smokin’ Triggers was named reserve grand champion. Crowds were large and consistent throughout the weekend at the sixth annual event, flocking for barbecue, beer, live music, children’s entertainment, and cow pie bingo. The Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event is the largest annual fundraiser for the Cherry Creek Valley Rotary Club. It spends the funds on community events like Trick-or-Treat on Mainstreet, and helps nonprofits like the Parker Task Force and Project Sanctuary.
PHOTOS BY JANE REUTER