Grassroots St. Vrain

Editor's Notes

• #2: Good morning and thank you for coming. My name is Paula Peairs and I’ve been part of GSV since 2008. Most of you know what GSV is. We are (read mission.) And since our humble beginnings with the 2008 MLO/Bond Issue, we’ve stayed a group of local caring citizens who want to continue to distribute knowledge about education-related issues in Colorado. Some examples of our growth over the past 3 years include 1) LSV which is a district sponsored group that grew out of GSV and now successfully educates involved parents about the “business of education” or how a 30,000 student district is run, 2) connecting with Great Education CO which we realized was important if we were to better understand state-level issues and what drives much of the decision making required at the local level, and 3) our participation with Great Futures CO which is a coalition of groups from around the state that supports stronger education in CO.Grassroots outreach has included 1) soliciting support for the DECIDE ballot initiative, which was considered by the CO legislature last spring and would have allowed voters to decide about increases in revenue for education, and 2) more recently educating members, PTOs and the community about the impact of Prop 101, Amend 60 & Amend 61 on the ballot last fall.But at the heart of it, we are all parents, community members and stakeholders in the SVVSD who can’t believe we’re still talking about millions of dollars in state education cuts for the third year in a row. When our 2008 MLO passed, we were so excited and so optimistic that this was the time that SVVSD was going to excel – we were primed to expand programs, update technology, update facilities, and take education to new heights in SVVSD. I remember when they started mowing the grass at my kid’s elementary school, I almost cried. Despite the economic downturn, our district has risen through the ranks in size and performance. Even with two consecutive years of massive education cuts, we have maintained class sizes and rigor and added program options. But now, with a third year of massive education cuts looming – our dollars are running out. During our outreach last fall to discuss Prop 101, Amend 60 & 61 we mentioned that 2/3 of the revenue raised from the MLO had already been wiped out by the state. Next year, it’s projected that all of the revenue raised will be offset by state cuts and funding levels will be below 2007.SVVSD recently held parent meetings and semi-annual feeder meetings to promote and facilitate understanding/appreciation of what’s going on in the SVVSD. (Our local education is not as horrible as ‘Waiting for Superman’ would lead us to believe.) But at the same time, all the work done at the district and school level is performed within the state framework. It’s really important for parents and advocates of education to understand the state education environment – because it’s hard to improve or even sustain education when budgets are being cuts by 100s of millions of dollars annually.  Our purpose today is to provide an overview of Colorado governance and how we, as parents/advocates for education, play a unique role in Colorado. Voters are the “directors” of state tax dollars – 50% of which go towards education funding. We know talking about state budgets, and ballot initiatives can make people uncomfortable. But the only way we can advocate for maintaining our kid’s education is to understand what drives it and how changes to education funding will affect staffing and programs. You may agree or disagree with the impact of education cuts. But understanding the mechanics within the education system is critical.John Creighton is the President of the SVVSD BOE and also does work for Colorado Non Profit Association. We are very happy to have John here today to share a presentation with us.
• #9: We approach every day as if we are in the middle of a campaign.
• #39: Good morning and thank you for coming. My name is Paula Peairs and I’ve been part of GSV since 2008. Most of you know what GSV is. We are (read mission.) And since our humble beginnings with the 2008 MLO/Bond Issue, we’ve stayed a group of local caring citizens who want to continue to distribute knowledge about education-related issues in Colorado. Some examples of our growth over the past 3 years include 1) LSV which is a district sponsored group that grew out of GSV and now successfully educates involved parents about the “business of education” or how a 30,000 student district is run, 2) connecting with Great Education CO which we realized was important if we were to better understand state-level issues and what drives much of the decision making required at the local level, and 3) our participation with Great Futures CO which is a coalition of groups from around the state that supports stronger education in CO.Grassroots outreach has included 1) soliciting support for the DECIDE ballot initiative, which was considered by the CO legislature last spring and would have allowed voters to decide about increases in revenue for education, and 2) more recently educating members, PTOs and the community about the impact of Prop 101, Amend 60 & Amend 61 on the ballot last fall.But at the heart of it, we are all parents, community members and stakeholders in the SVVSD who can’t believe we’re still talking about millions of dollars in state education cuts for the third year in a row. When our 2008 MLO passed, we were so excited and so optimistic that this was the time that SVVSD was going to excel – we were primed to expand programs, update technology, update facilities, and take education to new heights in SVVSD. I remember when they started mowing the grass at my kid’s elementary school, I almost cried. Despite the economic downturn, our district has risen through the ranks in size and performance. Even with two consecutive years of massive education cuts, we have maintained class sizes and rigor and added program options. But now, with a third year of massive education cuts looming – our dollars are running out. During our outreach last fall to discuss Prop 101, Amend 60 & 61 we mentioned that 2/3 of the revenue raised from the MLO had already been wiped out by the state. Next year, it’s projected that all of the revenue raised will be offset by state cuts and funding levels will be below 2007.SVVSD recently held parent meetings and semi-annual feeder meetings to promote and facilitate understanding/appreciation of what’s going on in the SVVSD. (Our local education is not as horrible as ‘Waiting for Superman’ would lead us to believe.) But at the same time, all the work done at the district and school level is performed within the state framework. It’s really important for parents and advocates of education to understand the state education environment – because it’s hard to improve or even sustain education when budgets are being cuts by 100s of millions of dollars annually.  Our purpose today is to provide an overview of Colorado governance and how we, as parents/advocates for education, play a unique role in Colorado. Voters are the “directors” of state tax dollars – 50% of which go towards education funding. We know talking about state budgets, and ballot initiatives can make people uncomfortable. But the only way we can advocate for maintaining our kid’s education is to understand what drives it and how changes to education funding will affect staffing and programs. You may agree or disagree with the impact of education cuts. But understanding the mechanics within the education system is critical.John Creighton is the President of the SVVSD BOE and also does work for Colorado Non Profit Association. We are very happy to have John here today to share a presentation with us.
• #40: Good morning and thank you for coming. My name is Paula Peairs and I’ve been part of GSV since 2008. Most of you know what GSV is. We are (read mission.) And since our humble beginnings with the 2008 MLO/Bond Issue, we’ve stayed a group of local caring citizens who want to continue to distribute knowledge about education-related issues in Colorado. Some examples of our growth over the past 3 years include 1) LSV which is a district sponsored group that grew out of GSV and now successfully educates involved parents about the “business of education” or how a 30,000 student district is run, 2) connecting with Great Education CO which we realized was important if we were to better understand state-level issues and what drives much of the decision making required at the local level, and 3) our participation with Great Futures CO which is a coalition of groups from around the state that supports stronger education in CO.Grassroots outreach has included 1) soliciting support for the DECIDE ballot initiative, which was considered by the CO legislature last spring and would have allowed voters to decide about increases in revenue for education, and 2) more recently educating members, PTOs and the community about the impact of Prop 101, Amend 60 & Amend 61 on the ballot last fall.But at the heart of it, we are all parents, community members and stakeholders in the SVVSD who can’t believe we’re still talking about millions of dollars in state education cuts for the third year in a row. When our 2008 MLO passed, we were so excited and so optimistic that this was the time that SVVSD was going to excel – we were primed to expand programs, update technology, update facilities, and take education to new heights in SVVSD. I remember when they started mowing the grass at my kid’s elementary school, I almost cried. Despite the economic downturn, our district has risen through the ranks in size and performance. Even with two consecutive years of massive education cuts, we have maintained class sizes and rigor and added program options. But now, with a third year of massive education cuts looming – our dollars are running out. During our outreach last fall to discuss Prop 101, Amend 60 & 61 we mentioned that 2/3 of the revenue raised from the MLO had already been wiped out by the state. Next year, it’s projected that all of the revenue raised will be offset by state cuts and funding levels will be below 2007.SVVSD recently held parent meetings and semi-annual feeder meetings to promote and facilitate understanding/appreciation of what’s going on in the SVVSD. (Our local education is not as horrible as ‘Waiting for Superman’ would lead us to believe.) But at the same time, all the work done at the district and school level is performed within the state framework. It’s really important for parents and advocates of education to understand the state education environment – because it’s hard to improve or even sustain education when budgets are being cuts by 100s of millions of dollars annually.  Our purpose today is to provide an overview of Colorado governance and how we, as parents/advocates for education, play a unique role in Colorado. Voters are the “directors” of state tax dollars – 50% of which go towards education funding. We know talking about state budgets, and ballot initiatives can make people uncomfortable. But the only way we can advocate for maintaining our kid’s education is to understand what drives it and how changes to education funding will affect staffing and programs. You may agree or disagree with the impact of education cuts. But understanding the mechanics within the education system is critical.John Creighton is the President of the SVVSD BOE and also does work for Colorado Non Profit Association. We are very happy to have John here today to share a presentation with us.
• #47: To continue Grassroots St. Vrain as a viable, current group of engaged citizens who promote quality education in our district, we need to learn as much as possible and stay abreast of current or pending education issues, and reach out to as many stakeholders as possible and keep them informed about important issues, ballot initiatives, campaigns, and state and local level decisions – that ALL impact education. To that end, we are asking those of you here today to participate in sustaining GSV. If we all contribute our skill sets to this mission, it can be sustainable for years to come – and not linked to one person, one issue or one campaign. Here are the area of responsibility we have identified as important for Grassroots to move forward and grow.State Focus – is for members interested in in-depth knowledge of details regarding various issues with a focus on the big picture; the state of Colorado!!Organizers will work to attend State level meetings of interest; such as Great Futures Colorado and report what they learn back to others on GSV.Members in this area may be called upon to put their intimate knowledge to work as speakers at events such as PTO meetings, etc. or as content writers for on-line communications.They will work to make sure our community is learning about what's happening at the state level.  They will put other members in touch with relevant sources at the state and possibly the national level.District and Community Focus – will work to stay abreast of learning opportunities within our community that may be of interest to the GSV list.  This committee will work to bring in relevant speakers and stay current on media coverage in the local news sources.  Members will stay in touch with our administrators of the SVVSD as well as the BOE and other community leaders.Important contacts for this group will be small business owners and  business groups as well as involvement in the local Chamber.  This group may be called upon to leverage contacts within the community.School Focus – is for members interested in being engaged at the local level with an particular focus on our schools.  Members will develop a working knowledge and establish firm contacts with various PTO, PTA, Booster etc. clubs at each level of education.  They may be called upon to share GSV updates and/or make GSV presentations to PTOs, schedule GSV speakers to share important information at school events or organize groups of stakeholders across the district to participate in important GSV initiatives.GSV Administration Focus – This membership group will keep GSV running smoothly by coordinating necessary meetings and managing all content and timing of GSV communications.  Volunteers will share responsibility with subject matter experts to draft emails and important letters, maintain the GSV blog, and prepare power point presentations as projects arise. Some members with technical savvy are necessary to maintain the Go Daddy and Salsa databases. A new component to this group is community outreach whereby members will be responsible for developing new GSV membership within the SVV community.
• #48: Within each group, we’ve identified important roles. Please take a moment to consider your area of interest. At which level are you interested in expanding/sharing your knowledge? Please keep in mind, we are not asking anyone to over-commit – we are all very busy. But if we pool our resources, GSV will be able to continue growing and build on the strong framework that’s already been established to promote understanding of education issues throughout our district.At this point we will be separating into informal break out groups where you can discuss the functions/responsibilities in each group.Paula Peairs & Alex Sharpe are available to discuss involvement at the state level.I will be available to talk about involvement at the District and Community level.Pat Carson is here to discuss information sharing and communications at the school level.Stacey Bahr is available to talk about GSV coordination which includes preparing GSV communications, database support and community outreach.We have sign up sheets with each group. Please put your names where you think you fit best and will be most comfortable sustaining GSV. Thank you!!