Chronicle Parker
Parker 4/12/13
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 24
April 12, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
Finance bill rankles school board County taxpayers could be hit hard By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com The Douglas County School Board long has urged a revision of the state’s school funding formula. That wish is now coming to fruition, but not in the way members had hoped. Board member Kevin Larsen said the current proposal in the Colorado General Assembly only would increase the disparity
among districts, and make matters much worse for DCSD students and taxpayers. “The cure is worse than the sickness,” Larsen said. “When we further compare that to the taxes that are going to be paid, I think Larsen people are going to be astounded. The net for us would always be to put more into the state than we’re getting back.” The Democratic-controlled Colorado Senate approved the bill April 2 on a partyline vote. If Senate Bill 213 passes the Gen-
eral Assembly, the state’s voters would then be asked to approve an income-tax increase of about $1 billion to fund the plan. Therein lies the rub. While DCSD would get more funding under the changes to the base calculations, Douglas County’s high per-capita income means taxpayers here would be hit hard by the proposed incometax increase. “The candy that’s going to be used to entice people here is that everyone’s funding is going to go up (under the new formula),” Larsen said. Supporters maintain the change is long overdue. The state’s Public School Finance Act last was updated in 1994.
“It was crafted before any of us used Internet, email, or cell phones,” said Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, sponsor of the bill. “Within the past five years, K-12 education suffered nearly $2.5 billion in cuts. Now is the time to reinvest and achieve greater adequacy, equity, and sustainability in our education system.” As proposed, it would bring an additional $43 million to DCSD, but about $16 million of that would go to fund additional early childhood education. “The cost to the taxpayers to get that $43 million, through a new change in incometax rate, would be in our estimation probBoard continues on Page 9
Aircraft firms’ tax credit gets support Bill aims to boost employment in state By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
Elizabeth Perkins and Paul Triggs dance the night away during PROM-US, a prom put on April 6 by the members of the Parker Rotary Community Corps special-needs group and Parker United Methodist Church. Photos by Chris Michlewicz
A magical night of music, memories Special-needs group holds Parker prom By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com It was billed as “a night of music and dancing,” but turned out to be so much more. People with special needs don’t always get to experience the milestones that others do, and that is exactly why one group decided to stage a prom just for them April 6. The first-time event, called PROM-US and put on by the Rotary Community Corps of Parker, was just like any other high school dance, but on a smaller scale. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a big night. Dates arrived hand in hand — one lucky fellow even had a lady on each arm — and corsages decorated the wrists of dozens of women in flowing gowns. The couples, and even those who came stag, beamed during their official prom photos. Hugs, high-fives and a few tender moments were exchanged. Then came the dancing, a let-loose, grabyour-friends-and-shake-it display that got the entire room jumping. Parents and siblings, on hand to chaperone, were as consumed by happiness as their loved ones. Debby Schacht, of Parker, says that years ago, when the geneticist told her that her baby girl had a mental disability, one of the first thoughts to cross the young mom’s mind was that her daughter would not be able to attend prom. She looks back on that thought as inconsequential in
Douglas County Commissioner Jack Hilbert helps Ethan Baber adjust his bow tie during a special-needs prom at Parker United Methodist Church. Nearly 70 special-needs adults attended the first annual event. the grand scheme of things, but Schacht can’t be faulted for wanting Hannah, now 16, to enjoy what is considered by most teens to be a momentous occasion in their young lives. So, when a friend’s son, who happens to have the exact same disability, asked Hannah to prom, mom and daughter had the
chance to go through the painstaking preparations together. Schacht wore a proud smile all night, and when asked what it was like to witness her daughter having the time of her life at prom, she responded: “Really, pure joy.” The evening was a pleasant surprise for Prom continues on Page 12
A bill that would expand tax incentives for the purpose of new hires in the state’s aviation field is flying through the Legislature with bipartisan support. House Bill 1080 modifies the 2005 Aircraft Manufacturer New Employee Tax Credit, which provides a one-time $1,200 tax credit for a new employee that is hired by an aircraft manufacturer. The bill expands the available tax incentives to manufacturers that provide aircraft maintenance, repair and modification services, which were not included in the bill from eight years ago. Rep. Chris Holbert, RParker, a bill sponsor, said it’s important to extend the existing earned tax credReport its in an effort to attract highpaying jobs in a growing field, rather than having planes fly to other states just for the purposes of having repairs done. “We have to recognize that big carriers like United or Frontier, when they need to maintain an airplane, very often they’ll fly it to Wisconsin or Chicago to do the work there, and then bring it back,” he said. “I think it’s ridiculous that Colorado is losing out on those job opportunities. Why not do that maintenance, why not do more of that final fit and finish kind of work while they’re on the ground here?” Holbert said he was approached about the idea for the bill by representatives from Centennial Airport, which has runways that extend into Holbert’s Douglas County legislative district. Airport Executive Director Robert Olislagers said Colorado is in a tough competition with other states for tax incentives for aviation jobs. “Twelve hundred dollars in tax credits doesn’t sound like a whole lot,” Olislagers said. “But, if you add that in with other incentives that Colorado counties are providing, it starts to add up.” Olislagers also said he hopes the bill will create more aviation jobs for veterans, especially when it comes to work that involves modifications of military aircraft.
Capitol
Aircraft continues on Page 3
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.