BSVDWatch.org

From BVSD today: 

Take advantage of this opportunity to serve on CBOC

We are seeking candidates to fill a vacancy on the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC). The committee provides independent review and monitoring of the bond projects that comprise the 2006 bond issue approved by the voters. Such monitoring and review is intended to provide a high level of accountability and communication on behalf of the Board of Education to the citizens of the Boulder Valley School District. Please read the description below for more information about the work of the committee.

To maintain balanced representation, we are seeking to fill the vacancy with an Erie resident who resides within the BVSD boundary. Interested individuals are required to submit a completed application, a letter of interest and résumé by close of business on Friday, December 21, 2007 to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Chris King, at Boulder Valley School District, PO Box 9011, Boulder, CO, 80301.

For more information, please contact Robert Hammond, Chief Operations Officer, at (303) 447-5019.

CBOC Membership Application

The Board of Education approved the following guidelines for the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee at its Dec. 12, 2006, meeting:

Committee Description

Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee Meetings will be held at 5:45 p.m. in the Library Conference Room at the BVSD Education Center on the following dates:

   * September 6, 2007 Columbine Elementary
   * November 1, 2007  Louisville Middle School
   * January 10, 2008
   * March 6, 2008
   * May 1, 2008

Meeting minutes will be posted within 10 days of approval, which generally occurs at the following meeting. A hard copy of the meeting minutes and any handouts can be obtained from the Communications office, free of charge.

From the outcry of east Boulder County parents and community members, and a luke warm reception from the BVSD board, Chris King has pulled his Louisville/Lafayette boundry proposal from the table.

From today's Daily Camera article:

"Parent outcry over an optional boundary change, designed to boost enrollment in Lafayette with students from north Louisville, has prompted Boulder Valley's superintendent to withdraw the proposal.

The gains didn't outweigh 'the angst it was causing,' said Superintendent Chris King, who announced the decision in an e-mail Friday to staff members and parents at the affected schools. 'We decided there are better ways to achieve our goals.'"

East Boulder County community members showed up to the recent BVSD board meeting en-masse and spent the whole first hour speaking at the public participation about their issues and concerns with the proposal. They had even created a blog outlining their issues.

Here is the original Daily Camera article outlining BVSD's dual enrollment plan.

BVSDWatch.org applaudes Chris King and the BVSD board for taking the time to consider the issues and to listen to the community input. This time last year such actions would have been unheard of. We hope this type of attention and discussion continues.... 

BVSDWatch.org has been on the fence about wether we should endorce any BVSD board candidate. Though we're late to the game we've decided to go ahead and endorse who we feel are the people we hope can "think different".

We feel Ed Gazvoda and John Satter have a more critical eye for things and would ask more questions that can help keep BVSD honest. We admire anyone who wishes to devote part of their life to the BVSD board of education and the community and we applaude all the participants. We hope to see even more people participate in the process the next time around.

As an aside, school board candidate Laurie Albright was asked to sign the Washington School petition over the weekend (see article below) and she refused.  By her refusal we can only assume she is not behind this petition drive and we cannot forget that we need the voices on BVSD to be listening as well, we all know this fight for Mapleton will be next.

Anyone else see a strange dichotomy in our community?

Student at Boulder High may be charged as a sex offender for attempting to streak across a football field. See this Daily Camera article. 

Then...

A hundred Boulderites shed their clothes for the annual "Naked Pumpkin Run" down Pearl Street. This year was the ninth year of the event, and "no run-ins with the police were reported." See this Daily Camera article. 

BVSDWatch.org is very disappointed with BVSD in pursuing the reported legal action against the student who streaked at a BHS football game. Although the student exercised poor judgment, it seems that pressing for a harsh permanent stigma on his character and record are disproportionate to the event. In addition, it could easily lead to yet another incident of controversial community division and bad press for Boulder and BVSD, as well as an inordinate use of  of BVSD money, time, and emotional energy. Certainly the student needs some form of punishment, such as the suspension he has already received. Maybe community service of some kind might be in order. But labeling this student as a sex offender, while a hundred others are celebrated for the same kind of behavior, borders on the ridiculous, in not injustice.

Please, BVSD, consider some balance in your actions.

Since the article in The Daily Camera last Saturday (link), the Washington School Neighborhood Association (WSNA) has decided to go forward with their petition. From the Camera article:
 

"The City Council on Tuesday night gave the go-ahead to a proposal put forward by developer Jim Leach to build six houses and 34 condos, which would make up a co-housing community on the grounds of the century-old school. Neighbors opposed to the project said it's too large and too dense and doesn't fit into their neighborhood."
 
WSNA sent out a press release today (link) announcing their decision to circulate a petition which, if they get the required 7,200 signatures, will bring the issue of the Washington School redevelopment to Boulder voters. From their press release:
 
"Our Association is asking Boulder voters to support the public’s right to play a greater role in land use policy issues, particularly on publicly owned land.  The City and the Boulder Valley School District have for more than two years presided over a process where citizen input has been muted, ignored or given only token consideration at best.  The resulting development plan has evolved ever so slightly, but only to become worse, not better."
 
BVSDWatch.org supports the efforts of WSNA and we hope the Boulder community will as well. If you are interested in signing the WSNA petition, contact us and we will forward you to someone who has one of the official petitions. Of course you must be registered to vote in the city of Boulder to sign such a petition.
 
Click here to visit the WSNA website to read more about their efforts and keep up with their progress.