Week of October 27, 2022
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 48
County clerks report death threats amid election fraud claims Still fighting uproar after 2 years BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
How much teachers across Metro Denver get paid depends on which school district employs them.
SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE
Teachers across the metro area describe pay rates Douglas County looks to voters for 9% bump BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Lucy Squire just marked her 18th year as a teacher at Copper Mesa Elementary School in Douglas County. One of the things she has that many teachers here and around Colorado don’t is a home. Squire looks at what Douglas County School District teachers earn and doubts she and her partner today could afford the same home. That’s even considering her current salary as a veteran educator. “When I started interviewing and looking as a brand new teacher, all of the (school) districts were so comparable with pay,” said Squire, a third-grade teacher. “It didn’t matter where
‘There are certainly worse-paying districts in the state, but in regards to the area, I’d definitely say Douglas County is known as one of the worstpaying districts. That’s not a secret.’ Shannon Doering, English teacher at Castle View High School
you ended up because they were so similar.” That was in 2004. Fast forward to today, and differences in teacher pay across Denver metro school districts are often stark.
While teachers in many districts across the state say they are struggling to keep up — particularly amid rising inflation
For the clerks and other people trusted to oversee elections in Colorado, these are tense times. Some face hostility, even violent threats, a trend that continues in Colorado two years after the 2020 election, when former President Trump and his supporters alleged widespread voter fraud. Those claims, which fueled the Jan. 6 insurrection, remain unfounded. Yet in Arapahoe County, Joan Lopez, the clerk and recorder in charge of elections, says an atmosphere of intimidation lingers. She tells Colorado Community Media she has received a threatening, handwritten letter with profanity and referring to her race. The letter writer also claimed to know where she lives. “You get concerned for your family and yourself,” said Lopez, a Democrat. She said law enforcement officials are investigating the case. The FBI says election officials across the country have reason to be fearful and says agents are committed to finding and bringing to justice those who would jeopardize the stability of free and fair elections. Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, says election officials around the state are worried. “Everybody’s bracing depending on how this election goes,” said Crane, a Republican former Arapahoe County
SEE TEACHERS, P8
SEE THREATS, P10
Check out
School of Choice In this week’s paper!