• Teacher Contract Agreement Reached
• Third Grade Reading CSAP Scores Improve
• Key Communique Survey
• Legislative Update
• Construction Fact Sheet
• Board of Education Meetings

Kami Keiter
All American Softball Player
Arvada West Alumna

The Bright Stars program recognizes Jeffco Public Schools' graduates who have gone on to distinguished careers or
have accomplished a significant achievement. If you have
a Bright Star you would like to nominate please e-mail Communications Services.

Jeffco and teachers union reach contract agreement

Jeffco Public Schools and the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) have reached tentative agreement on a contract ending an impasse which began last month.  The contract must still be approved by the Jefferson County Board of Education and ratified by JCEA members.

The agreement includes a compensation package which gives teachers a 4 percent cost of living increase, along with annual step (years of service) and level (educational credits) increases and medical benefits.

What brought the two sides to impasse is the issue of the non-renewal of probationary teachers.  Under the tentative agreement,  a joint district/JCEA committee will develop standards for probationary teacher evaluations to ensure accountability for both probationary teachers and the principals who evaluate them.  The Board of Education will have the final decision about whether or not to renew probationary teachers.

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The Colorado Department of Education has released the results of the 2006-07 third grade CSAP reading test and the preliminary numbers show that Jeffco's numbers are up 2 percentage points over last year. The results are:

Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Cindy Stevenson said Jeffco's third grade CSAP results are moving in the right direction and credits the hard work of teachers, principals and students for the impressive scores.

Jeffco's results continue to be above the state average. Keep in mind that these results are preliminary; final figures for all CSAP testing will be released in August by the Colorado Department of Education.

There are over 1,000 community leaders in the Jeffco Public Schools Key Communicator Network. As opinion leaders, the district depends on your voice to educate the community about important school district issues. At the same time, the district needs to hear from its Network on the effectiveness of this important communication program.

The district is asking for all Key Communicator's to take a few minutes and complete the online survey. Your feedback is extremely important. 2007 Key Communicator's Survey.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

School Finance
The School Finance Act, Senate Bill 199, is awaiting the Governor's signature. The final days of debate over the bill were filled with controversy due to the proposed Mill Levy Stabilization Amendment, which would have kept local funding for education from declining and created additional money for preschool and full-day kindergarten. Over time, local funding of public education has declined, with the state picking up an increasing amount. The state spends more on education than any other single activity, yet overall per pupil public education spending for Colorado is ranked 32nd in the nation according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Last week, The School Finance Act passed the Senate without the amendment, despite backing from Gov. Ritter and many legislators. The Act, as passed, did include a cap on the mill levy rate at 27 mills (Jefferson County 's mill levy rate is currently 26.272). This was done to address the constitutional provision that the state must provide “thorough and uniform” public education throughout the state.

Senate Bill 199 will provide $6,498 per pupil funding for Jeffco Public Schools. In comparison, in 2006 the Texas state budget called for $7,104 per pupil funding for education. Vermont spends $11,128 per pupil.

Oversight of Online Education
On February 15, the state's Trujillo Commission released its final findings and recommendations regarding online education programs. Based on the report, and in response to a 2006 state audit that found “significant weakness” in some of the online programs, Sen. Sue Windels introduced Senate Bill 215. The bill was originally intended to provide oversight of full-time K-12 online education and establish rules for how these programs, which are generally run by private groups, work within a school district. As the bill has passed through the legislative process, it has been heavily amended, which is causing concern in the K-12 community. The amended bill has no provision that online learning centers be supervised by certified teachers and it allows online programs to be established in a school district before public hearings are held. The bill does establish an office in the Colorado Department of Education and charges it with creating standards for online programs.

P-20 Council
Gov. Ritter has established the Colorado P-20 (preschool to grade 20) Education Council to bring together numerous stakeholders to help ensure that educational programs from preschool to graduate school are aligned, and that Colorado is preparing young people to enter a 21st century workforce. View the Executive Order creating the council.

The Colorado General Assembly is expected to adjourn the 2007 session on Friday, May 4. For details about bills and other legislative action, see the Colorado General Assembly Web site.

What further information would you like regarding legislative issues?

The Board of Education holds study/dialogue sessions (Seminar Room, 4th floor) and business meetings (Board Room, 5th floor) at the Educational Services Center, 1829 Denver West Drive, Bldg #27, Golden, unless otherwise noted.