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WEEK OF JUNE 5, 2025
VOLUME 159 | ISSUE 23
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CHAMPIONSHIP PITCH
Teachers union: No confidence in Dorland
Golden Baseball claims 4A crown P10
Jefferson teachers announce vote at May 29 School Board meeting BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
In a rare and highly public rebuke, the Jefferson County Education Association delivered a vote of no confidence in Superinten- Dorland dent Tracy Dorland during the May 29 school board meeting, accusing her of “undermining trust,” excluding educators from decision-making and destabilizing schools through top-down leadership. The vote represents a significant escalation in tensions between district leadership and its employee union, which represents more than 5,000 educators and licensed staff in the state’s second-largest district. A vote of no confidence is a formal expression of disapproval, typically used to signal that a governing body or leadership team has lost the support of the employees or stakeholders it serves. While symbolic and non-binding, it can carry significant political and public weight.
Arvada man charged with kidnapping, assault for attacking Rock Rest server Montano scheduled for June 18 preliminary hearing BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CORINNE@COTLN.ORG
Meanwhile, 30-year-old Brandon Montano was arrested at the Rock Rest that afternoon and has been held at the Jeffco jail on a $100,000 cash bond since then. Montano appeared via livestream for his May 29 court hearing, where the prosecutors confirmed the DA’s Office was filing seven charges against Montano. They are: Second-degree kidnapping, a Class 3 felony; Second-degree assault, a Class 4 felony; Menacing, a Class 5 felony; Prohibited use of a weapon, a misdemeanor; Third-degree assault, a misdemeanor; False imprisonment, a misdemeanor; and Crime of violence, a sentence enhancer. With formal charges filed in the case, the judge scheduled Montano for a pre-
liminary hearing at 9 a.m. on June 18 at the Jeffco courthouse. Generally, preliminary hearings are when prosecutors must prove there is probable cause for a felony case to continue through the judicial system. They typically proceed like small-scale trials where he prosecution calls witnesses to present testimony or describe evidence, and the defense can cross-examine the witnesses. In general, if the judge rules there is probable cause, the case would proceed to an arraignment hearing where the defendant may enter a plea. If not, the charges would be dismissed.
WESTMINSTER
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office has charged an Arvada man with kidnapping, assault and five other counts after he reportedly attacked a server, choked her and threatened her with a gun on May 21 at the Golden-area Rock Rest Lodge. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff ’s Office, the server didn’t sustain any major injuries during the May 21 incident.
MINSTER
WINDOW
SPORTS: 9 | VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14
Union cites breakdown in collaboration and trust
The union’s operational board and representative council voted unanimously to issue the declaration, citing what they described as a pattern of exclusion, top-down decisionmaking and lack of transparency under Dorland’s leadership. “This decision was not taken lightly,” the union stated in a letter delivered to the board prior to the meeting. “It is a reflection of the overall direction of the district under Superintendent Dorland’s leadership which has created a disconnect between the central administration and the educators, families and communities we serve.”
WINDOW SEE CHARGED, P4
SEE DORLAND, P4
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