Announcement
Job Posting - Director of School Safety Resource Center
Attn: School Safety Leaders
The Colorado Department of Public Safety is seeking qualified applicants for Director of the Colorado School Safety Resource Center. This vacancy wad created by the forthcoming retirement of the current director, Dr. Linda Kanan, effective Dec. 1. This is an open competitive posting for Colorado residents only. It closes Wednesday, Nov. 2. This classification is a General Professional VI in the Department of Public Safety.
For position description and application procedures, visit the State of Colorado site for employment at the URL below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Linda M. Kanan, Ph.D.
Colorado School Safety Resource Center
Phone: (303) 239-4391
Email: Linda.Kanan@cdps.state.co.us
Submit an Application for a Qualified Zone Academy Bond Allocation
Attn: School Districts
CDE is currently accepting applications for Qualified Zone Academy Bond allocations.
The program is a way for school districts to obtain low or interest free financing for renovation, repair projects and other needs. Currently Colorado has $17,555,000 in available allocations for 2009, $18,468,000 for 2010, and $5,527,000 for 2011. CDE does not provide funding, but provides authorization to a school district to obtain the low-or interest-free financing if the school district qualifies. For a list of requirements, applications and frequently asked questions, visit the link below. The FAQs also contain information on several Colorado firms that have experience with QZAB transactions.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Kristin Lortie
PSFU
Phone: 303-866-6184
Email: lortie_k@cde.state.co.us
Conference
CDE State Conference on Blindness/Visual Impairment
Attn: All
The State Conference on Blindness/Visual Impairment will be held Thursday, Oct. 27-29 in Denver.
The training is targeted for certified teachers of students who are blind/visually impaired teaching in Colorado administrative units, TVIs in-training with a preservice program and parents of students with diagnoses of both blindness/visual impairment and autism spectrum disorder.
The Thursday evening session will focus on Auditory Description as an instructional accommodation. This session is open to personnel working with students who are blind/visually impaired or print disabled.
The Friday and Saturday sessions will focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders and Visual Impairments: Addressing Students’ Learning Needs. The focus of this training will be on school-age (three to 21 years) learners.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tanni Anthony
Exceptional Student Services
Phone: 303-866-6681
Email: anthony_t@cde.state.co.us
Green Schools Summit is Friday, Oct. 28
Attn: Superintendents, Business Managers, Facility Maintenance Directors
The Green Schools Summit will help administrators learn how to implement energy efficient measures and teach the best practices used for a hiring top notch design teams. Real life case studies will be reviewed and administrators will be able to expand their knowledge of funding streams to make green schools a reality. This will also be a great time to network and share experiences while learning about new ideas.
The conference will be held Friday, Oct. 28, in Denver and is free to students, school employees, CDE employees, and public officials! Please contact Kathryn at the U.S. Green Building Council Colorado for more information: kathryn@usgbccolorado.org or visit the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Ted Hughes
Capital Construction
Phone: 303-866-6948
Email: hughes_t@cde.state.co.us
Parents Encouraging Parents 2011-2012 Conferences
Attn: All
Parents Encouraging Parents Conferences bring parents and professionals together to allow them the opportunity to share ideas, discuss concerns, celebrate successes, and obtain information relating to parenting, educating and supporting a child with a disability—from ages birth to twenty-one.
To register and for more information about Parents Encouraging Parents visit the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
DeLinda Rose
Exceptional Student Services
Phone: 303-866-6943
Email: rose_d@cde.state.co.us
Event
Parents Encouraging Parents Academy
Attn: Special Education Administrators, Parents Encouraging Parents (PEP) Facilitators, Colorado Special Education Advisory Committee (CSEAC) Members
The Parents Encouraging Parents Academy will be held Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Lowry Conference Center, 1061 Akron Way/Building 697 in Denver. The academy is a one-day event to enhance collaboration and understanding between families and educators facilitated by Dr. Robert Naseef, psychologist, parent, author and national speaker.
Explore different ways men and women experience the loss/grief cycle when they have a child with a disability – a model on which the Parents Encouraging Parents (PEP) Conferences are based to help Colorado families and professionals understand the feelings surrounding parenting and educating a child with a disability.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Cindy Dascher
Exceptional Student Services
Phone: 303-866-6876
Email: dascher_c@cde.state.co.us
Federal Programs
Wavier Application for FY 2009 ESEA Funds
Attn: Federal Program Contacts
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) intends to apply for a waiver from the United States Department of Education (USDE) to allow the state and local education agencies to continue to spend certain federal funds awarded in Fiscal Year 2009 under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These funds were set to expire at the end of September 2011, but the USDE has announced the opportunity to apply for a waiver to extend the availability of the funds until September 2012.
While CDE advocates timely and effective use of federal award funds, CDE also recognizes the challenging financial times Colorado faces and, therefore, believes it would be in the best interest of the state and its students to apply for the waiver to continue the use of the funds.
The full waiver application is available on the website. CDE is accepting comments on the waiver until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Send comments to miller_c@cde.state.co.us. Any comments submitted will be included in the waiver application to the USDE.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Cheryl Miller
Federal Programs
Phone: 303-866-6214
Email: miller_c@cde.state.co.us
News
Update on CDE and The New Teacher Project
Attn: All
CDE and the Colorado Department of Higher Education have partnered with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to support their work in developing an effectiveness-based system of educator licensure, induction and preparation that is aligned with the state’s new educator evaluation system.
In August, the initiative established the Colorado Educator Pipeline Task Force to bring together key voices from around the state to gather recommendations for redesigning licensure and induction in Colorado and connecting it to measure of effectiveness. The task force held their first meeting on August 29, during which time the group reviewed data related to induction and retention and engaged in a discussion on licensure and induction. The second meeting, held on September 30, focused on the current structure of Colorado’s licensure system and potential changes to link the system to measures of effectiveness.
TNTP has also begun reaching out to other key audiences throughout Colorado, to gather input and feedback related to licensure and induction. Interested in learning more about the initiative? Click the link below to receive updates through the distribution list.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Jim Furman
Phone: 720-515-9670
Email: jfurman@tntp.org
Reminder
TABOR District Emergency Reserve Options
Attn: Superintendents and Business Managers
In 2009, Senate Bill 09-256 passed which allowed districts additional options for funding its TABOR emergency reserve requirement. Section 22-44-105 (1)(c.5) provides as follows, a district's board of education has two additional options to meet the requirement that the budget shall ensure that the school district holds unrestricted general fund or cash fund emergency reserves in the amount required under the provision of section 20 (5) of article X of the state constitution (TABOR). If a district's board of education provides for a district emergency reserve in the general fund for the budget year, established at an amount equal to at least three percent of the amount budgeted to the general fund, the board may (I) designate real property owned by the district as all or a portion of the reserve required by TABOR, or (II) secure a letter of credit from an investment grade bank as all or a portion of the reserve required by TABOR.
To exercise one of these additional options, the board must file with the state treasurer and the department of education a letter of intent that expresses the intent of the board upon the occurrence of a declared emergency within the meaning of TABOR to (I) increase the liquidity of such property by entering into one or more lease-purchase agreements with respect to such property or by other means acceptable to the state treasurer or (II) satisfy its obligation to reimburse the bank for moneys drawn on the letter of credit that are not reimbursed to the bank within the same fiscal year by entering into lease-purchase agreements with respect to real property owned by the district.
If you have questions after reviewing these statutory provisions, please contact Kirk Weber (contact information below) or any of the Public School Finance staff.
For More Information, Contact:
Kirk Weber
Public School Finance
Phone: 303-866-6610
Email: weber_k@cde.state.co.us
ESCAPE Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Tests
Attn: Gifted Education Directors and Coordinators, Counselor and AP/IB Coordinators
The application to participate forms for 2012 AP and/or IB ESCAPE Eliminating Student Cost in Advanced Placement Exams are posted on the Gifted Education site at the link below. The due date to apply for the 2012 exam fee reduction is Oct. 28.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Katherine Keck
Gifted Education
Phone: 303-866-6794
Email: keck_k@cde.state.co.us
Webinars
CELApro Growth Data- Webinars
Attn: District Assessment Coordinators, ELL Coordinators, Accountability Contacts, TItle III coordinators
The Colorado Department of Education released CELApro student level growth data for the first time to districts in August, through CEDAR. The data provides information on the relative growth individual students made in gaining English language proficiency.
The Colorado Department of Education is offering two informational webinars to support educators’ understanding and use of Colorado Growth Model with CELApro assessment data. The webinar will explain the growth data, including how best to use the data through examples and address specific questions from webinar participants. There are currently two dates scheduled for the webinars. Registration is not necessary. You can simply access the Adobe connect webinars at the dates and times listed, using the following information:
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
URL: http://connect.cboces.org/r5xe303c6dd/
Phone: 866-684-8605
Friday, Nov 4, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
URL: http://connect.cboces.org/r6gvxnja5ze/
Phone: 866-684-8605
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tina Tamayo
Federal Programs
Phone: 303.866.6705
Email: tamayo_t@cde.state.co.us
Colorado Department of Education
201 East Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado
80203-1799
Phone: 303-866-6822 or 303-866-2334
Do you know somebody in your school district who needs to read The Scoop each week? Send an e-mail to: CDE_Communications_Office@cde.state.co.us with "Sign Me Up For The Scoop" in the subject line. If you are having trouble signing up, please call the communications office at the telephone numbers above.
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