BSVDWatch.org

Chris King has reconsidered the construction plans for Louisville Middle School and requested the advisory team assigned to approve plans for the school to also reconsider the total demolition of the historic school and think of alternatives. King asked they reconsider their current plans and think how they could keep the historic facade.

Here is the link to the Dail Camera article from January 19th, 2007.

We applaude Chris King's efforts to have the advisory team reconsider their decision and we hope they make the right decision and keep the school's facade, as the Louisville community has so vehemently expressed.

A new group who is concerned about how BVSD is implementing their "Green" initiatives relating to last year's 3A bond for capital improvements is taking them to task. This kind of oversight is important and we hope you, our readers, will assist this group by paying attention to what is going on in your local neighborhood school, and reporting back to them and us what you see as unfulfilled promises. Don't let any of the money promised to your school slip away. Pay attention and ask questions.

Here is a statement from this new group: 

Greening Boulder Valley Schools
 
A group of parents, teachers, administrators and concerned citizens has come together because we believe that BVSD’s capital improvement program (which will renovate many of our schools with funds from last year’s bond measure) is not living up to the language of the bond. The measure calls for “implementing cost-effective, environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient design and construction strategies.”
 
While most of the projects incorporate green elements, trade-offs between necessary improvements, such as classroom space, and green features, such as high performance windows, have meant that many green features have been dropped from school wish lists.
 

Here is a good letter to the Broomfield Enterprise paper about BVSD's decision to have high schools decide for themselves in ..."recognizing valedictorians or salutatorians based solely on cumulative GPA rankings."

For those interested, here are the BVSD student enrollment numbers as of October 2007.

The October Count reports can be found on the web in three parts:
 
Current Year Head Count Summary (PDF)
- Funded Student Count by school and grade
 
Current Year FTE Summary (Web Link)
- Full Time Enrollment count by school and grade
 
Current Year Special Programs Summary (PDF)
- Breakdown of school programs by school and grade
 
The above links, as well as other BVSD budget related items, can be found here:

http://www.bvsd.org/Budget/default.aspx

BVSDWatch.org steering member Karyn Robinson has a reply to the Daily Camera editor regarding Mr. McCaffrey's guest opinion from this last Sunday:

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to Mr. McCaffrey's Guest Opinion from December 2nd.  His idea to use Mapleton as  a "living laboratory" sounds like a thinly veiled guise for him to have a prime apartment on the third floor of our historic neighborhood school.

Mr McCaffrey asks what use of the site would best honor its history and character?  The community has told BVSD over and over, the answer to this question: A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL.  That is what this building was built for and used for nearly 120 years.  With the overcrowding problems at the nearby elementary schools of Flatirons, Foothills and Whittier it is obvious there is a need for this school to be used as a school once again.

With the exception of Ms. Paxton, all of the school board members that voted to close this school nearly five years ago are no longer on the board.  Clearly these closures were ill fated decisions, that left a bad taste and a lot of mistrust.   It is high time to reverse these decisions.

Neighborhoods are cyclical in nature.  Does anyone remember Newlands neighborhood 20 years ago?  Mainly elderly and empty nesters.  Now, nothing but kids, kids, kids.  Mapleton is no different, take a drive around and see how many strollers, play structures, kids you see.

As for superintendent King's statement that the district needs the money from the sale of this building, didn't we, the voters, just give BVSD nearly $300 million?  After the Washington debacle do they really want to go down that road of selling this property?

Mr McCaffrey's plan is to "foster lifeways that are less impactful on the planet and less stressful on our lives".  I have a perfect plan that will do that too, reopen our schools and allow our children to once again walk to their neighborhood school.

Karyn Robinson

Boulder, Colorado

In the Dec. 2nd Daily Camera we saw two well written guest opinions; one from the Washington School petition drive sponsors, and the other about alternative solutions for the use of the closed Mapleton School. BVSDWatch.org applaude their energies toward finding a solution that reflects the wishes of the whole Boulder community. This growing movement encompasses a wider group of community members than we have seen in the past, and we feel these issues are not going to dissipate anytime soon. We hope Chris King and the new BVSD school board is listening and participates with the community to help find an equitible solution.

"Washington School petition shows Boulder is being heard"

Daily Camera, December 2nd, 2007