Voice
Lone Tree 4/4/13
Lone Tree
April 4, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlonetreenews.com
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 12
Overhaul of school finance advances Republicans balk at $1 billion cost By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
Sandra Wong of Castle Rock, participating in a kickboxing class at the Lone Tree Athletic Club, is among a growing wave of women using boxing and kickboxing for fitness. Photos by Jane Reuter
Boxing is big hit for fitness Workout trend on the upswing in Lone Tree By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com
H
ope Frantom was, she said, “an uncoordinated mess” when she started boxing. Now, she’s not just coordinated but has gained a level of confidence she says permeates every aspect of her life. “I feel like whatever you throw at me, I could probably do,” said the Aurora resident, who works as a trainer at Lone Tree Athletic Club. “I have more confidence about trying new things. I am more confident approaching men in a social situation. I’m also a more confident teacher. “It’s also a great workout.” Frantom is among a wave of women choosing boxing and kickboxing for fitness. A trend for several years, the sport got a boost with the debut of women’s boxing at the 2012 Olympics. Cardio kickboxing classes have grown 37 percent in the past three years, according to Women’s Health magazine. “Better than 60 percent of our class is
Courtney Scherer, left, takes instruction from Stan Welch, right, during an LA Boxing class.
made up of women,” said Stephen Stafford, general manager at Lone Tree’s LA Boxing. “I have a lot of teachers, medical professionals, lawyers, business executives — all high-stress jobs. It’s that release they get
(from boxing), in an environment that’s not intimidating.” In addition to providing an emotional outlet, boxing offers “every aspect of fitBoxing continues on Page 7
Commissioners reclaim library appointments Trustees to be recommended, approved by elected officials By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com The Douglas County commissioners took over the process of nominating and appointing library trustees, with a 3-0 vote at the March 26 commissioners’ meeting. Prior to the change, the Douglas County Library District Board of Trustees had, since the early 1990s, recommended new appointments for ratification by commissioners. With adoption of the new policy, two of the three commissioners will act as a nomination committee for new trustees when positions open, and a two-thirds majority vote of the commissioners will be required to approve the recommendation. The commissioners’ decision was pre-
ceded by nearly two hours of public comment, most of it critical of their proposal. Of the handful of people who supported the commissioners’ decision, half were rejected library trustee applicants, or were related to someone who ap- Repella plied but was not selected as a trustee. The now-discarded process of the library board handling its own nominations is one of two protocols allowed under state law, which prohibits an elected trustee board. The second option is to have county commissioners appoint trustees, as they do with the planning commission and other public volunteer boards and commissions. Critics of the commissioner-appointed process fear it will politicize the library board. Commissioners adopted the process to create greater accountability to taxpay-
ers, said Commissioner Jill Repella, District 3. “The first thing that goes through my mind and my heart is how disappointed I am that the word `politics’ is being thrown around in this issue,” Repella said. “This is about governance to me. It is a very large budget of taxpayer dollars. If something goes wrong, I ask who’s responsible. “Ideally a separate government should be an elected body,” she said. “This is the only connection to an elected body the citizens have. We are taking it from a weak link to a stronger link.” The commissioners’ solution was to create the two-commissioner nomination committee for a trustee nomination. The committee will submit its recommendation to the three-member board of county commissioners for ratification. Commissioners continues on Page 7
A bill that would lead to immense changes in how Colorado schools are financed passed the Democratic-controlled state Senate on a 20-15 party-line vote April 2. Democrats see the “School Finance Act” as a chance to modernize an antiquated school finance formula, and to create a more equitable structure by which districts are funded. But Republicans argue that the 200-page bill does nothing to put in place the reforms that the Report state’s education system needs. And they cringe at the measure’s $1 billion price tag. Senate Bill 213 would fund full-day kindergarten, provide preschool for at-risk children, and increase needs-based programs for special education and for students who are learning English. The bill also would expand funding for students in gifted and talented programs, and it gives school districts the opportunity to have extended school years and school days, if they choose to do so. In addition, the bill would make changes to per-student funding for school districts across the state. If the overhaul is implemented, it would be the most sweeping change to the state’s school-finance formula in decades. “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to rewrite the way we fund the single largest, most complex and most important part of the state government, which is how we fund K-12 education,” said Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, a bill sponsor, during an April 1 debate that preceded the final vote. Democrats believe the time has come to help school districts that have had to deal with years of budget cuts. Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton, said the five school districts in her district “absolutely will benefit from this new formula.” “There are schools that are desperately in need,” she said. But Republicans slammed the bill as being loaded with bureaucracy and lacking accountability. “This falls short of a true reform effort,” said Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Parker. And Republicans especially are opposed to the cost of the bill, arguing that legislation hits taxpayers’ wallets in a big way. “If this is being portrayed as an education reform bill, it is April Fool’s Day,” said Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch. “This is a $1 billion tax increase on the people of Colorado.” If the bill passes the General Assembly, it will be up to voters to decide whether they wish to foot the $1 billion price tag that will come in the form of an income tax hike. Only Colorado voters, and not lawmakers, are allowed to raise taxes, under the state’s Constitution. The bill now heads to the House.
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