Posts tagged Boulder Valley School District
Boulder Valley School District opens online forum
Oct 10th
October 3, 2012
Boulder, CO – The Boulder Valley School District has launched BVSD Listens, a new comprehensive community engagement website developed by MindMixer. It’s a place parents can engage, communicate and collaborate with the superintendent and school board – along with other residents – on where they see the district heading.
The goal is communication – involvement. Parents and community members who sign up with BVSD Listens will be part of the planning process on issues like the school year calendar and the role schools can play in Boulder’s future as a city.
BVSD Listens allows contributors a chance to share new ideas, second others’ ideas, expand upon existing ideas, give feedback on initiatives, and work with school leaders on a variety of topics online anytime, anywhere. The Boulder Valley Board of Education, Superintendent Bruce Messinger, and other key administrators at BVSD will be tuned in to the site.
The discussion has begun with the following topics and will branch off from there based on contributor input:
- Which calendar guiding principles are most important to you?
- What is the best way for the district to communicate with you?
- What is your favorite thing about Boulder Valley Schools?
- How do you see the public schools and the students they produce contributing to your vision of our community’s future?
BVSD Listens also measures and tracks participation, identifying the most interested citizens and most compelling topics. The tools make it easy for administrations to communicate back with parents, and they deliver measurable results and invaluable insight as plans move forward.
Nick Bowden, CEO of MindMixer, says,“ Our tools go beyond just technology. Our mission is to build community contributors. Ideas, voices, and perspectives are shared to facilitate deeper and better conversations that yield actionable insights and a stronger community.”
As part of its service, MindMixer consults and collaborates with clients to identify issues that are critical to stakeholders in order to update topics and content for their websites.
Boulder Police to increase crosswalk enforcement for September
Sep 18th
Starting on Sept. 17, 2012 and going through the end of the month, officers from the Boulder Police Department will increase safety enforcement at city crosswalks as part of “September Crosswalk Safety Weeks.” At its Sept. 18 meeting, City Council will be designating Sept. 17 – 28 as September Crosswalk Safety Weeks as part of the ongoing “Heads Up: Mind the Crosswalk” public education campaign. Police at the University of Colorado will also be stepping up enforcement on and around the campus.
Earlier this year, several new ordinances went into effect. The three ordinances in the Boulder Revised Code are:
- “Stop at crosswalk required” [7-4-77] stipulates that when one vehicle stops to yield for a person in a crosswalk, another vehicle going the same direction in an adjacent lane cannot overtake and pass that vehicle.
- “8 mph speed limit for bicycles in a crosswalk” [7-5-5] establishes a speed limit of 8 mph for bicyclists during the immediate approach, entry and traversal of any crosswalk that spans a roadway.
- “Pedestrian obedience to traffic signal required” [7-5-15(f)] targets the use of flashing crosswalks (those with flashing yellow crosswalk signs) by requiring a person crossing to enter the crosswalk with the warning device activated.
Boulder police, along with officers from the University of Colorado Police Department, will focus their safety efforts on high-incident crosswalks, many of which are on or near the university campus.
Police will also be keeping an eye on school zones. At the same time, the Boulder Valley School District is educating students about crosswalk safety with activities such as assemblies, art projects and events planned during the designated Crosswalk Safety Weeks.
Fines for breaking these ordinances range from $50 to $125. Drivers may also receive points against their license.
Boulder council moves ahead on municipalization questions; final vote scheduled for Aug. 16
Aug 3rd
One final vote on this issue is scheduled for Aug. 16, but council has indicated this can go on the consent agenda, so no significant changes are anticipated.
The approved ballot language includes several provisions that place limitations on the authority to issue bonds and chart out clear citizen involvement and representation on an advisory board to guide future decisions. These include:
A provision that rates cannot exceed those offered by the current provider, Xcel Energy, on the date that the city purchases the system from Xcel;
Guiding principles for the municipal utility, once established, that make rate parity and the city’s commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions key factors in future ratemaking and operations decisions;
A commitment to a nine-member advisory board, appointed by City Council, with staggered five-year terms; the board can include up to four non-residents (to allow for involvement of business owners and employees of businesses that pay electric bills within city limits), and council will seek broad, but not rigidly defined, representation of customer classes; and lastly,
A guarantee that the city will cover taxes that would have been paid to the Boulder Valley School District as well as a mechanism to allow for the payment of similar taxes to other governmental entities.
Each of these issues is covered in the ballot language and accompanying ordinance for the first of two measures voters will be asked to consider.
The second, related question will ask voters to approve an increase in the Utility Occupation Tax that Xcel currently collects from customers. This increase is necessary to fund legal and engineering costs the city will incur while working to determine a final price to purchase Xcel’s system. The tax, which would raise up to $1.9 million a year, would last either until Dec. 13, 2017, or until the city makes a decision about whether or not to proceed with buying the system, whichever occurs first. The idea of the tax is to provide the funding for the period before the city could actually launch a utility without having to move forward on issuing bonds. This period is expected to last three to six years.
“This is an exciting time for Boulder, and it was very satisfying to see council come to some important conclusions last night,” said Mayor Susan Osborne. “The language that we expect to go before voters includes carefully thought out opportunities and limitations that address both the city’s economic and environmental objectives. Although there are still some differences of opinion on council, we are unanimous that it is time to ask voters to play their part in charting out our future.”
More details, including specific ballot language and staff memos to council, are available at http://www.boulderenergyfuture.com. A complete broadcast of the council meeting is available for viewing under http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/channel8 under the Council Archives menu item.