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Parade winners Most Creative First: Real Housewives of Conifer Second: EDS Waste Solutions Best Small Animal First: Cub Scout Pack 285 Second: Aspen Creek Veterinarian Hospital Best Large Animal First: Bailey Freedom Riders Second: Pleasant Park Shooting Stars Best Music First: Deer Creek United Methodist Church Marching Band Second: Evergreen Newspapers Best Float First: Journey Church Second: Drive Smart/Conifer High School Best of Youth First: IdRaHaJe Camp Second: Platte Canyon Little League Best of Parade IdRaHaJe Camp
School board From Page 1
the third for the new board after Lesley Dahlkemper and Jill Fellman were both elected last month. Dahlkemper, whom the board voted as president Nov. 17, said her first order of business was to hold a study session dedicated to effective governing and leadership. In the two Dahlkemper and a half hours over the two sessions, Weigel guided discussion about how the board should view its own rules and, to a lesser extent, how the members should interact with one another. “There may be unity in a board life, but there may never be unanimity, especially on things that really matter. … But that doesn’t mean you can’t unify and move
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
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parade From Page 1 Sheila Farneth, who organized Troop 285’s parade efforts, said the cold wasn’t a factor. “Conifer people have had worse weather to deal with,” Farneth said. “With all the work people put into their floats, they couldn’t have canceled it.” Two weeks ago, the boys got together at Elk Creek Elementary School, and with the help of about 15 adult volunteers, made stick horses from socks stuffed with plastic bags, pipe cleaners and eventually broom handles. At the parade, the stick horses were attached to the float. Looking on the sunny side of things, the boys learned not only how to work together but how to wrap packages, too. Their float was sponsored by Big R Farm & Ranch in Conifer. Esau Cloutier, 10, a fourthgrader at Elk Creek Elementary, said this was his third time in Conifer’s parade.
“You just feel bigger than everyone when you stand on that float,” he said. “People you know call out your name.”
Esau said he didn’t think the cold could put a damper on the parade. “I’ve never seen a bad parade,”
on,” Weigel said during the Dec. 1 session, explaining that board members should not dwell on defeat when votes don’t go in their favor. “Move on. Don’t let it drive you nuts. … That’s the most I’m going to talk about getting along, and that’s not very much.” After addressing the board’s own rules, which he said are too numerous, Weigel asked Boggs, who appeared irritated for much of the session, if the discussion was fruitful. “Is this useful to you, Laura?” he said. “Not one bit,” she said, explaining her lack of participation. “I won’t use our taxpayer dollars, Jim.” The comment brought a rebuke from board member Paula Noonan, who suggested more substantial cuts to the board’s travel budget would reflect greater fiscal respon-
sibility. Though the cost of the sessions was criticized, Noonan noted that the board approved earlier this year a $5,500 line item in its budget specifically for facilitation services. “To imply that we are inappropriately spending taxpayer dollars on this is out of line,” Noonan said to Boggs. “Maybe this year you can save taxpayer dollars by not taking trips to D.C.” With tension obviously rising, Dahlkemper moved to close the discussion, noting that the majority of the board had been eager to work with Weigel. “So far it appears that it’s helpful for most of our board members,” Dahlkemper said. The board’s use of a facilitator is not new. The former board employed Matt VanAuken for several sessions in late 2010 and early 2011 to facilitate meetings surrounding a massive facilities overhaul plan.
Boost in school-lunch price brings windfall to district
Photo by Barbara Ford | The Times
Journey Church’s float makes its way along the route of the Conifer Christmas Parade.
By Emile Hallez Staff Writer
Since implementing a 25 percent price increase for most school lunches earlier this year, Jeffco Public Schools has begun netting a profit in its food services fund, money that is currently sitting idle. In the first financial quarter of the school year, the district netted nearly $765,000 more than during the same period last year, representing positive income of $409,500 — a substantial departure from 2010, when the fund operated at a loss. The district boosted the price of middle- and elementary-school
he said. Contact Barbara Ford at barbara@evergreenco.com.
lunches from $2 to $2.50 and high school lunches from $2.50 to $3 in February. Though the boost initially resulted in a slight dip in sales, they have since rebounded, staff said. The income is likely to be used to restore some of the 250 daily staff hours cut last year in the department, but a plan to spend the growing income has not been executed, to the concern of at least one school board member. “I don’t want to get to the end of the year and find that all these budgets are returning 10 percent, when we’re living off of ice chips,” board member Paula Noonan said to staff.
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