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Plans to send lightrail up existing railtracks through NorthDenver and on toOlde Town Arvadahave been sentawry by the refusal of Burlington Northern to allow use of its tracks for Light Rail. That decision leaves RTD scram-bling to find other alternatives thatmight include running light rail on38th Avenue or even Lowell Blvd.Meanwhile, few in North Denverhave heard of plans that wouldbring major changes to the area.
North Denver
 
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October 6, 2006
Potter Highlands • Jefferson Park • West Highland • Sunnyside • Sloan’s Lake • Berkeley
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City Councilman Rick Garcia was surprised by the suddenchanges in RTD’s planning. A for-mer RTD Board Member, Garcia isconcerned that an alignment alongcurrent streets would be morecostly and make rail uncompeti-tive with single-occupant cars— akey component for securing federalfunding for transportation projects.Along with many in the commu-nity, he wants to know more.Local elected officials aredemanding that Light Rail onthe existing rail corridor be partof the study, despite BurlingtonNorthern’s refusal to allow LightRail alongside freight trains.Lowell Blvd has been added tomix of possible alignments in orderto serve Regis University, accordingto RTD consultants.A recent public meeting to dis-cuss alternatives for the so-calledGold Line resulted in angry com-ments. Arvada Mayor Pro TemAaron Azari argued that voterssupported FasTracks at the bal-lot box because of the promise of electric trains on existing railroadlines.Using specialized, electric self-propelled trains heavier thanLight Rail called EMUs (ElectricalMultiple Units), that plan may stillbe a possibility. The Gold Line mission is gofrom Ward Road north of I-70 toDenver’s Union Station.
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• a voice for the new North Denver •
(and Edgewater too! 
 p.11)
by Guerin Lee Green
This month
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Exclusive to the North Den-ver NewsCouncilman Rick Garcias An-nual Report page 21-24SCFD Calendar page 26Senator Dick Lugar (R-Indi-ana) on Energy as a SecurityEmergency page 41
 
RTD struggles tofind light rail routethrough North Denver 
North High targeted for redesign
  V o  l u m e 
 4  I s s u e  1 0
 
North Denver’s Wanda James and candidate for Congress , Lt. Col. Jay Fawcett visitwith the North Denver News at the Tattered Cover. SEE STORY ON P.2
A highly-placed source has toldthe North Denver News that NorthHigh will be placed on a “rede-sign” list, possibly as soon as theend of October.Redesign means that teachersand administrative staff wouldno longer have their jobs, and would have to re-apply for posi-tions at North. A previous rede-sign of Brown Elementary inNorth Denver led to the firing of every teacher. It is not clear whatthe immediate consequences of redesign will be at North.North, which has been in themiddle of a political firestormsince August, lost its principal inearly September. Now, the pos-sibility that the remainder of itsstaff may be out next year looms.Despite requests, there have beenno public meetings about North’sfuture— one planned for August was scrapped.Denver Public Schools wouldneither confirm or deny that North would be redesigned. The school has been in themidst of an expensive reform effortthat has produced results. Butcritics have maintained that prog-ress isn’t quick enough. Otherstarget teachers as being at faultfor a lack of student acheive-ment.But others, including parentsinvolved in the reform effort havechallenged those allegations,pointing to progress and innova-tive programs being implementedat North.North’s reform plan never was approved by the District orthe School Board, leaving many,including former North princi-pal Darlene LeDoux, to ques-tion the commitment to the planfor improving North. Other crit-ics have argued that the Districtis using outdated demographicinformation in understanding
RTD FasTracks Gold Line EISAlternative 6F: LRT-Lowell/BN Fact Sheet
ntinues
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Ave.Ralston Rd.WardRd.KiplingSt.WadsworthBlvd.SheridanBlvd.FederalBlvd.PecosSt.Denver UnionStation
Alternative 6F LRT –Lowell/BN
Note: Map not to scale
Light Rail on Lowell?!?
One of the alternatives being consideredby RTD’s Gold Line team of consultants includes tracks down 38thAvenue and Lowell Blvd
Winners!
North High La Entrada essay contest winners
on page 18
Northwest Denver Literary Contest winner
on page 12
see DPS on page 8
 
October 6, 2006Page 2
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Vote ? on PreschoolMatters
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For four key reasons, vot-ers should think hard aboutpulling the yes lever for Mayor John Hickenlooper’s “PreschoolMatters,” which raises Denver’ssales tax to help poor familiesaccess preschool. (For a moreprecise explanation of whatPreschool Matters does, go tonorthdenvernews.com).As public investments go,spending tax money on preschoolis one of the best investmentsthat can be made. A Californiastudy by the Rand Corporation,a generally honest broker, sug-gests that a single dollar spenton preschool education reducesfuture tax needs by as much as atwo dollars fifty. Head Start, thefederally subsidized program,has a tremendous track record of improving student achievementand reducing dropout rates. Onthe whole, putting governmentresources into preschool educa-tion is a powerful tool, one of thebest public investments that canbe made.In a perfect world, one in whichrational judgments trump politi-cal considerations, PreschoolMatters faces four problems that would cause us to send it back tothe drawing board.First, sales taxes are highly regressive, and this incremen-tal tax increase would add toDenver’s already regressive taxregime. Underscoring the regres-sivity is the reality that using aregressive tax to help poor fami-lies is fiscal irony at its greatest.Second is the economic reality of subsidies. What you subsidize, you increase in price. PreschoolMatters will raise the cost of pre-school for all of Denver’s families.For some families, the marginalbenefit of receiving help fromPreschool Matters may actually be more than offset by the high-er prices for quality preschool.Given the relatively inelastic sup-ply of preschool slots, the price-shifting effects of subsidy may begreater with Preschool Mattersthan one would normally antici-pate. Third are the education pol-icy concerns. Preschool Matterstargets four-year-olds. But inColorado, kindergarten is notmandatory. Worse, full-day kin-dergarten in DPS is tuition-based.All things being equal, to bestserve all of Denver’s children,mandatory, free kindergartenshould be the highest priority.As valuable and laudable as sup-porting the quality and quantity of preschool slots for four-year-olds, getting every kindergartenerup to speed and ready for firstgrade is a higher priority.Fourth, preschool matterscreates a new administrativebureaucracy. Even though itdoes so through a new non-profit with a mandate for lean opera-tion, it still duplicates what couldbe done through the existingDPS Early Childhood Educationprogram. What’s worse is thatmany Denver schools are farfrom capacity, and could eas-ily house the 2000-odd studentsthat Preschool Maters expectsto serve. It would also have thesalutary effect of spreading DPS’ monstrous fixed costs over a larg-er base of students, easing itsstructural budget woes.In an ideal world, PreschoolMatters isn’t the right solution to what is a pressing matter of pub-lic concern.Painfully, we don’t live in anideal world, but one fraught withpolitical constraints. Denver vot-ers have rejected previous taxincreases to support youngchildren, and California votersdefeated one earlier this year.As a result, although PreschoolMatters is far from a perfectanswer, it may the only one we’relikely to get. If you can swallowtrading the ideal for the prag-matic, you may want to cast a yesvote on 1A.
by the North Denver News
In this year’s political season,North Denver’s Wanda James hasa key role in one of the most inter-esting Congressional races in thecountry. James, who owns 8 RiversCaribbean Café along with husbandScott Durrah, is managing the cam-paign of Jay Fawcett, a Democratand former Air Force Lt. Colonel, who is running a competitive racein the normally Republican FifthDistrict, which centers on ColoradoSprings. The race has been named oneof the nation’s fifty hottest by the well-respected National Journal.Fawcett is taking on State SenatorDoug Lamborn, who won a desper-ately fought five-way Republicanprimary. So divisive was that con-test, the incumbent Joel Hefley, along-time Republican Congressman,has refuses to support Lamborn.Lamborn has been tagged as being aproxy for some of the most extremeelements of the religious right.Fawcett, long interested in poli-tics, made the jump into the publicarena in this turbulent politicalseason. “This particular year, alot of things came to together. I watched how the Republican partytreated Joel Hefley... a man whodid the right thing, who stayed con-sistent with his twenty years in theHouse, and the Republican partytore him apart. ...He was told hislegislation was dead on arrival.”“I’ve also been concerned withCongress’ ability to its job... over-sight,” says Fawcett. “It’s a goodtime for a Democrat to step forwardand offer an alternative.”Fawcett is among a host of mili-tary veterans running for Congressthis year as Democrats, underscor-ing the bitter rift between the Bushadministration and the professionalmilitary, a chasm which grows witheach combat casualty in Iraq. James has ably positionedFawcett to take advantage of Republican discord and militarydisenchantment with the WhiteHouse. Colorado Springs, longknown for its conservatism, is hometo both Focus on the Family andthe Air Force Academy, the head-quarters of Northern Command,Fort Carson, and the highest con-centration of veterans in Colorado.Fawcett, who has both taughtat the Air Force Academy andcommanded its HeadquartersSquadron, has Colorado ties goingback to his arrival as a freshmanat the Academy in 1973. A veteranof the first Iraq air war, and anexpert in military doctrine, Fawcett would bring both a keen mind andvaluable experience to the halls of Congress.A recent campaign poll hasshowed Fawcett running aheadof Lamborn, a finding that regis-tered upon political seismographsfrom coast to coast. James expectsRepublicans and allied groups tofight tooth and nail to keep the seatin Republican hands. But with ahighly-qualified and tough-mindedcandidate in Fawcett, the makingsof a titanic upset have been sown.
Fawcett’s hot race hasNorth Denver keystone
On-line exclusives! The most interesting race in Colorado. Interviews with State Senator Ken Gordon and State Treasurer  Mike Coffman, both contenders for the Secretary of State. Don’t miss the bombshells from MarineIraq veteran Coffman, as the Republican calls the war in Iraq a mistake. www.northdenvernews.com
In Loving MemoryIsabelle C. Murelli
, born March 22, 1926, passed away October 3, 2006 at theage of 80. Survived by children; Joan (Rich) Watts, Mike (Michele) Murelliand Mari Montgomery. Grandchildren; Mike, Jon, Jill, Jennifer, Rachel andDominic. Three great grandchildren.Visitation will take place Monday, October 9, from 11:00-1:00PM at FunerariaMoore Howard Chapel, 4345 W. 46th Avenue. Viewing at the Cantrell FuneralHome in Kimball, Nebraska on Tuesday, October 10, from 11:00-1:00PMfollowed by internment at the Kimball Cemetery at 2:00PM.
North
 
Denver News Staff:
Guerin Lee Green, Publisher and EditorLaura Douglas, Managing EditorDevon Barclay, Associate Publisher Eliza Gibbons, Copy EditorCyndeth Allison, Fran Schroeder, Betsy Martinson,Dixie Darr, Rebecca Simmons, June Hicks, Corinne Hunt, BethLaVigne, Eliza Gibbons, Beverly Newton, Tanya Carwyn, RachelPollack, Kathryn Delaney, Renee Fajardo, Devon Barclay, LaureneLafontaine, Cynthia Badger, Melanie Beaton, Maureen Schmidt,Theresa Southerland, Adam DeGraff, Elizabeth Wheeler, Rossy Kay... plus our other writers and contributorsfrom all over North Denver
 
October 6, 2006
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www.spinalaid.com • Dr.James J.Hoven Jr.,DCSpinal Aid Center • 4100 E.Mississippi Ave.,#310Glendale,Colorado 80246
Call For A FREEDVDAnd A FREEConsultationCall For A FREEDVDAnd A FREEConsultation
 There has been much commentin the two major Denver daily news-papers and smaller publicationssuch as North Denver News aboutthe “dire straits” currently facingNorth High School. Reading thecommentary, witnessing the “trans-fer” of Dr. Darlene Ledoux, North’srecent principal and attempting tocommunicate with some of those who seek the school’s redesign hasprompted some questions I have.For those who don’t know me, I ama retired (and now rehired) DenverPublic Schools (DPS) teacher, hus-band and parent to two daughters who attended North Denver publicschools, longtime North Denver res-ident and activist. Thus, I expressmy own bias.Well, I have some questions of those who seek to “redesign” NorthHigh School. First, what would aredesigned North High look like? The news stories and commen-tary I’ve read have either misrepre-sented their views or they have notexpressed them clearly. I still don’tknow, nor do others, what theirintentions are.How will changing the principal, who was attempting and imple-menting reform, bring about thechanges necessary to reform NorthHigh? Again, from what I’ve read,heard and observed, there is not aclear answer. How would requir-ing North’s current teachers toreapply for their positions makethe school better? Students needconsistency and continuity. A newfaculty would be inexperienced andprobably lack a basic knowledge of the student population.How would the problems of chronic absenteeism, tardiness,lack of motivation, drug use,teen pregnancy, poverty, etc., beaddressed? What can be done toincrease parental and individualstudent responsibility? Do those who seek North’s redesign believethat those problems originate atthe school? They do not! Theystem from conditions in the com-munity and in families.Would North High become acharter school such as Denver Artsand Technology Academy (DATA)?If so, are those reformers awarethat DATA has had four princi-pals in three years, that there hasbeen a faculty turnover of overfifty percent, that the CSAP scoreshave been significantly lower thanother North Denver neighbor-hood schools? (Incidentally, I justreceived in the mail on Sept. 26a brochure from DATA recruitingnew students. I’m unsure whenthe school year begins there, butI’ve been teaching since Aug. 22and the first grading period endedSept. 29. And, DATA is still recruit-ing students? In my view that’sunprofessional.) Certainly, thereare many educators, including thisone, who believe that too muchemphasis is placed on the impor-tance of such tests and they arefrequently misinterpreted. Thesetests are most useful as a diag-nostic tool to assess a student’scurrent status and to determine what intervention strategies might
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 What Will “Redesign” of North High Look Like?
see REDESIGN on page 15
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