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<br />Jistriet,,'ls.
<br />Jnder siege
<br />)rganized parents,
<br />)oised to change I
<br />he3~phoqlre:Pl~t~~%
<br />BARBARA TAYLOR P /4- ers working in the classrooms,
<br />1iiii'"Statt WrHer I and the well-educated parents
<br />:mr-D'oulder Valley School who work in the, science-univer-
<br />itrict is being ban:aged. sity communities of Boulder Val-
<br />I In December. a parent, Mar- ley and expect their children to
<br />I Blackmon, penned a critical be prepared exce1le~tJy for col~
<br />lIysis of Boulder:- Yalley stu- lege. ..
<br />Its' scores on national stan- Theirs is a pQtent VOIce nus-
<br />"dized testS. Her conclusion iog fundamental questions about
<br />that the academic quality of the 'business of school _ aea- .
<br />. school district is mediocre demic achievement I
<br />biggered 6e~ public debate. And it may present the great-
<br />. In February. a dozen power- est challenge Boulder Valley
<br />parents including Nol:iellau- schools have ever faced.
<br />.00 Tom 'Cech. iss~ed'a "chaI- 1
<br />ge" to Superintendent Dean ..A gathering voice
<br />man: C9mpare the quality. of :: Tbe woman is not a new I
<br />tcatian in.Boulder Valley WIth ::ZUother. She baS four children in
<br />t of other affluent or universi- '-;Boulder Valley schools. She vol.
<br />communities across the na- : unteers in their classrooms and
<br />1. Prove, they said, that B~)UI. : even spent a year ~t afternoon
<br />.. Valley is as good as it clauns . and evening meetings on a
<br />Je. " .' : School Improvement Team.
<br />lOne :week later, most of the : She is ~.
<br />cherS at Boulder High School Her eighth.grade_ daughter
<br />oed a.petition .critica~ of th~ brought home the same spelling
<br />1001 board's "nuddle level phi- list as did her fourth-grade
<br />Dphy.-" A foundation of !!tat daughter.
<br />. icy is that students of ~arymg The woman told the tale of the
<br />ldemic 'ability should l~arn to- spelling list to 13 other parents
<br />her. - The faculty's fear: that a who were -gaUtered in a Univer-
<br />liddle-schools cannot'~eate a sity Hill living room. They had
<br />rlaVs _, "track,'::__ of bOnOl"S gotten together to talk. about
<br />sses, then high schools will their perception that academic
<br />mtually pack off their honors quality is declining in lhe public
<br />Jgrarns. schools.
<br />Time and again. the parents
<br />came back to that spelling list. It
<br />
<br />embodied the Problt!in; They:
<br />know what ac8d~c".~~~
<br />is not. '!'he to~ 91i~~'1e.';i.
<br />over which this .commwu..,,_ ,.m
<br />having one of the loudest and
<br />most fundamental debates on re-
<br />cord - is what academic excel-
<br />lence is.
<br />The neighborhood. Coffee, was
<br />in late February. .
<br />By March 5, concerned par.
<br />ents were not just m~~ in
<br />homes and school cafeterias. A
<br />capacity crowd of 500 packed the
<br />auditorium of a federallabora!c?-
<br />ry on South Broadway. ~ ~
<br />'was electric. They came to lDlti~
<br />ate action to improve BVSD
<br />schools." Hru.........
<br />Organizers gave.. s""'"6""'&6
<br />speeches. Their talks' pitted re-
<br />search against, research and
<br />were peppered with aneCdote.s
<br />about their children's expen-
<br />ences in schooL They filled the.
<br />hall with the energy of a sum-
<br />mer ni2bt's tent meeting. ..
<br />"If tliere's 500 ~ple th~,.
<br />said organizer and. physiCIst
<br />MauriCe Blacla'non a few. days"
<br />before the event. "lJ?en It'S a
<br />movement."
<br />A lobby, or a real movement.? I
<br />Education experts, some who :
<br />live in Boulder an~ .-som~' who 1
<br />know it by reputatioo,._ said ,the.
<br />organizing effort by 1~ parents
<br />is worth watching. ... . ,o': 10
<br />"Our tremendous re$pect r
<br />science. Our tremendous res~t
<br />for scholars. Our success m
<br />school. That makes it a ~ove-
<br />ment," said Dick Kraft, a Umver-
<br />sity of Colorado-BoulHer educa-
<br />tion professor and one-time state
<br />board of education member.
<br />The pal'ent group ..(it has no
<br />name) circulated a survey at th~
<br />Marcl1 meeting. Itsfesults ,are
<br />being scoun:d for co~o~ con-
<br />cerns and. will be the, basIS of a
<br />petition to the Bo~!!l" Valley
<br />Board of Education. Leaders say
<br />the petition will "Diodel the Dec-
<br />laration of Independence" with
<br />specific demands. Parents plan
<br />to stand outside groceIy s~res
<br />collecting signatures 8;Dd deliver
<br />th~petition in mid-April.
<br />
<br />. "
<br />
<br />
<br />'J)--rr I9L-UO 185:5
<br />
<br />The .swvey fl!l~ p,etition. drive.. i
<br />will alSo give a measure'lo J1!.sl j
<br />h'!Wlafg~a !r~ .lA~ !
<br />lngIy, Vllc8l, , " , i"'!"!'., " WDI
<br />comprise. ,," '. ~
<br />~dy, ._a parent-parent ~e-'
<br />bate .-is- emergmg. Are the lead-
<br />ers Of the- March meeting flD ~t-
<br />~de'::,D s~:::'~,dt\,o'~ ;: ,appe'als
<br />themselves? Or are they a VOice ;
<br />for the mainstream of Boul~ I
<br />Valley parents'who do not care .
<br />for the way their schools are be- : I"
<br />
<br />inU:::;;leftlhe auditorium that IfU lUg
<br />night more assured that the di- ~ /
<br />rection of the- schoohlistricUs' ~ _ I t'l-- j/:>--,
<br />Wrong, Clutcliing alSstracts of re- By TOM MeA VOY
<br />search and phone numbers of ("~elJ)'er Bu.reau
<br />organiZers, they exited talking. DEN Amencan Water
<br />about what needs to change an~ Development Inc. has appeale?
<br />how to retlirn to a more ,tradi- Alamosa Judge Ro!'ert Ogburn s
<br />tiona! school system. ruling against its claims to 200,000
<br />But others decided UUs grouP. acre-feet per year of underground
<br />does not speak for t!tem. '_ water in the San LUIS Valley.
<br />One mother sald. then- ~p- AWDI lawyer David Hallford
<br />proae!!.._.was too strident: Still, of the Denver firm of Saunders,
<br />she shares concerns about th~ Snyder Ross and Dickson filed
<br />district phllosophy and studei,ts notice 'of the ap~l Wednesday
<br />achievement. Sh!! ~largd no~ ~ with the Colorado Supreme
<br />come part of thIS .e. VOI~. Court
<br />Rather, she would V1S~t Wltf 0 burn ruled against A WDI
<br />cochuns~o~ findt oU~~ha=e: fro~ the bench last Nov. 22. and
<br />S 00. considered . and h~ handed down a 104-page wntten
<br />are b:ng affect students. On a order on Feb. 10, more than five
<br />~JYOOl-by-schOOl basis, she, years after the water brokers filed
<br />old challenge practices that the case back on Dec. 31, .1986.
<br />~ time away from academ}C!> The Supreme Court might take
<br />for .social and self-esteem actiVl- another two years to rule 0." the
<br />ties' " appeal. A WDI's Hallford said t~e
<br />stm, 'political and e.ducati~na1 trial-court transcript. alone, IS
<br />analysts say the bud!lli'& parent estimated at 6,513 pages.
<br />group, as it is emergIng m,Bo~- i "The objectors are very confi-
<br />der'Valley, has key .c!Iaracteris-, dent the court wilt up~old Judge
<br />tics of powerful pobtical move. Ogburn's decision," sa~d De~ver
<br />ments: . 'd. water lawyer Robert Htll. _He IS a
<br />.I~ message is broa, ,g
<br />.It uses both passionate rpet- :,.:.:. ::-;:,!,~. __.._-;:-- ~
<br />onc and quantitative .research. h
<br />. Its _ leaders are well~known the same time, it must ".ot s ut
<br />arid have captured community out those who belieye Jushyt '!5
<br />attention. strongly that the phllosop IS
<br />H the school board wants to. wrong.
<br />win back the hearts and n;rln~. ' "TI;1e only thing they. ca~ u~e
<br />f . hts, analysts advise, It -is the power of persuasIOn, s81d
<br />~~d a way to stand up for Jean Bathurst, deputy director
<br />the phllosophy it endOrsed, and of the Education Excellence Net-
<br />still believes IS best for all chiI- work in Washingto?> D.C. :'They
<br />dren in middle schools. And., at need to fight fire With fire, If they
<br />want to fight at all."
<br />
<br />?~
<br />
<br />partner with David Robbins, who
<br />r~resented the ~o .Gi~de Wa.tct
<br />COnservation DistrIct an .fightins
<br />AWOI'sclaims.
<br />A WDI claimed rights to Jll!ca
<br />Ranch water based on a Spanlsh
<br />and Mexican land grant com...-
<br />I' pleted in 18~6,. Ogburn ruled,
<br />against that chum 10 1990.
<br />The Denver-based water brok~r
<br />also argued that the judge erred. In
<br />finding that its claims to non"lf!b--
<br />" utary rights actually involved .tnb..
<br />utary wa~r affecting- other ~~hts
<br />the land" ed 'h
<br />The company chaUeog t e
<br />judge's other key legal a!1d raetu~
<br />findin$S in the case, whICh culnu..
<br />Dated _10 a six..week tria.l last fall.
<br />According to A WI?I. O~b~rn
<br />was .wrong in identifymg eXIstmg
<br />conditions of. the undergro~n~
<br />aquifer natural streamS. well Itn-,
<br />gation "practices in the area. and
<br />the poi.ential effects o_n the federal
<br />Closed Basin Project. .
<br />"American Water was unfauly
<br />prejudiced and denied due p.rocess
<br />of law by the terms an? Imple-
<br />mentation of (O~burn s) case
<br />management order,' the compa-
<br />ny's lawyer claimed.
<br />Hallford argued tha~ th;e ~a~er
<br />judge acted beyond ~IS ,J~nsdlc-
<br />tion on issues ofmatenal InJU!y to
<br />others' water rights, environ.
<br />mental impacts from well purn\?
<br />ing and the adequacy of A W:qI s
<br />proposed water augmentation
<br />plan.
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