NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Paonia weighs building fees, changes to building department, B3
SPORTS
EVERY DROP COUNTS
WINDY THROWBACK
Orchard City residents asked to practice water conservation, C1
Just four teams compete in state-qualifying Delta Twilight, B5
DELTA COUNTY
APRIL 18, 2018 VOL. 135, NO. 16
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Teacher salaries, benefits analyzed BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Meet ‘n greet
Hospital board candidates introduced themselves and answered questions at a meet ‘n greet held Monday night at Delta County Memorial Hospital. Ballots will be mailed to every registered voter in Delta County this week. Above, candidates Wayne Wolf and Bruce Mixter share their thoughts; in the background, Bob Stechert (in navy sweater) gets acquainted with Dr. Sam Kevan and Gwen Conrad, the hospital’s medical staff coordinator. Not pictured, but present, is Dr. Doug Speedie. The fifth candidate, Tammy Smith, was not able to attend the event. Three new members will be elected to four-year terms on the hospital board. May 8 is Election Day for special districts throughout Delta County, but multiple fire, mosquito and water districts cancelled their elections because the number of candidates did not exceed the number of vacancies.
With the focus on teacher salaries in Colorado and a nine-day, statewide teacher strike in Oklahoma, Delta County Joint School District #50 recently conducted a salary analysis. Results, reported at a school board work session last week, indicate beginning teacher salaries are “light,” but the longer teachers stay in the district, the higher their earning power by comparison. According to an independent analysis of salary and benefits, the salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in Delta County ranks 36th out of 178 school districts. Salaries for first-year teachers come in at 119th out of the 178 school districts in Colorado. The 26-year “earning power” ranking puts Delta County 68th out of 178 based on the salary schedule alone. When combined with family benefits, the power ranking moves to 50th. When compared to neighboring school districts, business manager Jim Ventrello said beginning salaries are at least $1,000 less; however, teachers in Delta County are paid for 177 days, while teachers in Mesa and Montrose are
School district provides computers for all middle, high school students BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Using one-time state funds provided to rural schools, Delta County Joint School District #50 has augmented its supply of Chromebooks. The school district now owns 2,935 Chromebooks, one for every student in grade 6-12. The Chromebooks are being used in classrooms, but beginning next fall, high school students will also be able to take the laptops home. While middle school students will also have an opportunity to check out a Chromebook for school use, it’s not yet been decided if they will be able to take their laptops home. School superintendent Caryn Gibson said the entire district has moved to a Google platform, which is built into the Chromebooks. Students use the Google platform to do homework and to submit assignments. It also facilitates communication among students and staff members within the school district. “I see us moving more toward a blended learning atmosphere, where students can learn at their own pace and access a global classroom,” Gibson said. The Chromebooks will be available for checkout for $35 per academic year. The checkout fee is intended to
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ......................A11 Back Page ................... D6 Business .......................A12 Church ............................C6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Health & Fitness ...... A7-9 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ................ A9-10 School Zone ............... A5-6 Sports ..........................B5-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4
defray the cost of buying new Chromebooks for incoming sixth graders, allowing seniors to leave with a Chromebook when they graduate. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, graduating seniors who have paid the checkout fee for at least two years will be allowed to keep their Chromebook. Before checking out a Chromebook at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, students and parents will be required to review and agree to the district’s “Student Use of the Internet and Electronic Communications Policy.” The policy stresses the appropriate use of any district-owned computer, network or electronic communication device. Students are expected to adhere to the following policies: • Students must bring their Chromebooks to school every day and make sure they are fully charged. • Students must treat their devices with care and never leave them in an unsecured location. • Students must keep their device in a protective case or backpack when traveling. • Students may not attempt to install or run any operating system on the Chromebook other than the ChromeOS operating system
supported by the district. Teachers and administrators have the right to collect and inspect Chromebooks at any time. Personalized instruction is being offered in conjunction with Western State Colorado University, to help teachers get up to speed on Google and blended learning options. Anthony Cooper, the school
district’s technology director, said it’s important staff members have instructional tools, as well as the technology. The professional development courses, to be offered over the summer, are intended to help teachers grow and learn in their profession, while providing educational credits that will help them advance on the salary schedule.
contracted for 184 and 178 days, resectively. To round out the picture, Gibson noted that 77 percent of per-pupil funding is spent in the classroom and 23 percent goes to operations. “This shows the district’s dedication to students and staff of Delta County,” Gibson said. Discussion about salaries for all 50J staff members is taking place as the 2018-19 budget is being formulated. A salary increase of 3.12 percent is proposed for certified staff members (teachers). Overall, certified staff are receiving a 6.8 percent increase over the past two years. The school district has also worked to improve the classified salary schedules. The majority of classified staff received a 4 percent increase last year, with proposed 4 percent increases the next two years. To make beginning teacher salaries more attractive, school board member Jan Tuin suggested a signing bonus. Gibson said the school district does offer moving assistance for teachers in high needs areas, such as math. “We have to; otherwise they won’t look at us,” she said. About 70 percent of the district’s total budget is allocated to salaries and benefits. The school district’s contribution to PERA, the Public Employee Retirees Association, is set by the state legislature at 20.15 percent and will be raised to 21.15 percent on July 1. The employee contribution is also going up, with the goal of reaching 11 percent by Jan. 1, 2020. With increases in PERA contributions, Gibson was reluctant to consider any increase to employee health insurance. Health insurance premiums in the school district went up 1 percent two years ago and have not been TEACHER SALARIES TO A3
County to test emergency alert system April 18 PRESS RELEASE
Delta County’s Office of Emergency Management will be testing the County’s CodeRed Emergency Alert System beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18. CodeRed is the system that allows Delta County Emergency Services to immediately notify citizens within a designated area of current or potential lifethreatening information via recorded message, text message, and/or email. The tests will occur in the Delta area at 6 p.m., the Surface Creek area (including Orchard City and Cedaredge) at 7 p.m., and in the North Fork area (including Hotchkiss, Crawford, and Paonia) at 8 p.m. In order to receive CodeRed
alerts on your cell phone, your cell phone number must be registered with the system. With more and more people using their cellular phones exclusively these days, it is critical to register cell phones in order to receive emergency information in a timely manner. The easiest way to register is to go to the Delta County website (www.deltacounty.com) and select the “CodeRed Sign Up” button, or go directly to www. deltacounty.com/codered. The system is also capable of delivering messages via TTY (text telephone) for the hearing impaired. If the system dials a residence and gets a voice, it gives a spoken message. If it detects a TTY, it delivers a TTY message.
Jeff Wright, Delta County emergency manager, stated that there is a possibility of increased wildfires this year due to the warmer, dryer winter we experienced. Receiving a CodeRed emergency notification could make the difference between life and death if such an emergency occurred near you. He strongly encourages everyone with a cell phone to get registered right away and remain vigilant to the weather and the environment around you, as well as how you will respond to emergency events. For more information or assistance signing up with CodeRed, contact Jeff Wright at 970-874-2004 or Jan Speas, public information officer, at 970-874-2028.
Final chance to weigh in
Scholarships
Votes finalized
Did you miss the open houses on the county’s draft Master Plan? You can still submit your feedback to the planning commission until April 25. Do the priorities identified in the plan reflect the discussions held during the planning process? Do the strategies and next steps move these priorities forward appropriately based on level of community consensus achieved during the planning process? Does the Master Plan move Delta County in the right direction with regards to the community’s vision and goals? Review the plan and submit feedback at https:// www.deltacountyplan.com/get-involved.
The City of Delta has established a youth scholarship fund to help kids stay active. A goal of $10,000 has been set to help offset the cost of programs and keep registration fees low for kids who wish to participate in sports and activities sponsored by the city. For details, stop by Bill Heddles Recreation Center or call 874-0923.
Eight additional ballots were either “cured” or received prior to the April 13 deadline. Elections supervisor Rene Loy Maas says three votes were cast in the Delta municipal election, two in Orchard City and three in Paonia. Delta council candidates Kevin Carlson and Jay Stooksberry each picked up a vote, but the 22-vote spread remains in Carlson’s favor. Neither box was marked in the third ballot received for Delta. The Paonia ballots broke a tie between Barry Pennell and Samira Hart. Pennell is elected to a four-year term; Hart will serve two years. The two additional ballots did not affect the outcome in Orchard City.