Schools: New Board, New Name, Internships, & Rate Hike

School Board Welcomes New Members

By Bunny Taylor, Lake County School District

The Lake County Board of Education would like to welcome John Baker and Felicia Federico to the school board.

John Baker, LCSD School Board: @Facebook.

John moved to Leadville in 1987 when he was 7 years old with his family. He attended Lake County Schools and graduated from Lake County High School in 1998. After graduation he left for the Marine Corp where he served 20 years of active duty.

John returned to Leadville in 2018 with his family including his wife and three sons (2nd, 7th & 9th grades) who are currently enrolled in Lake County School District.

Felicia Federico, LCSD School Board: @LakeCountyCo

Felicia is a long time Leadville local. She grew up with her father as a Lake County School district teacher and coach (note: LCHS football’s Federico Field named in his honor). She has also been involved in Lake County Schools in many ways. She is a Lake County graduate,  worked at The Center for 18 years, is currently in her 23rd year of coaching cheerleading, has had one son go through the district and graduated, and currently has a daughter in 8th grade.

“All candidates brought many wonderful qualities and the choice was a hard one,” the LCSD selection committee concluded. “We would like to thank everyone for their interest.”

New Elementary School Has New Name

In other school news, the new primary school under construction in the Lake County School district has a name! While there has been no formal announcement made by the school board, it was reported at the Lake County Office of Emergency Management regular meeting on January 27, that the name of the new school presently under construction is Lake County Elementary School. Good to Know!

The replacement facility for West Park Elementary School will house preschool through second grade according to school officials. In November 2019, Lake County voters approved a bond issue as part of a $20.8 million Building Excellent Schools Today grant. The new school will serve students that presently attend West Park and Pitts Elementary School. The new facility has added a large gym for student and community use. Officials still plan for a fall 2021 opening of the Lake County Elementary School at which point the demolition of the existing West Park school will take place.

Old School, New School

The following video shows Leadville in 1931. The footage is in front of the former Leadville High School, presently the Mining Museum on West 9th Street. Thanks to Cyndy Payo for the #videoshare and a trip down memory lane!

Paid Internships at CMC to Train Workforce

By Carrie Click, Colorado Mountain College

Colorado Mountain College (CMC) and the USDA Forest Service are together offering a valuable opportunity for those interested in land management, sustainability, and outdoor recreation careers.

The Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship program is a two-year paid internship. The program gives participants experience working part-time for the forest service while studying at CMC to prepare for land management jobs. CMC will be accepting applications for the program’s next cohort starting Feb. 1. The application deadline is March 15. The program begins in fall 2021 and ends in late summer 2023.

“This program provides an ideal opportunity to launch a career with the forest service,” said Dr. Nathan Stewart, CMC associate professor of sustainability studies and program director for the Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship.

Based at CMC Steamboat Springs, CMC Leadville or CMC Spring Valley, interns will study with college faculty while participating in intensive fieldwork with forest service personnel. Steamboat Springs students will work on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, while Leadville and Spring Valley students will conduct their fieldwork on the White River National Forest.

Who Can Apply?

In addition to current Colorado Mountain College students studying biology, environmental science, geology, natural resource management, outdoor recreation leadership, ski area operations or other related fields, the internship is open to those willing to apply to CMC for a bachelor’s degree program, or to those who currently hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher) with at least 24 successfully completed science courses.

Interns accepted into the program will either be CMC students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in sustainability studies or a certificate in public lands management. Opportunities to earn certification in geographic information systems is also offered during the internship.

Success Stories

The Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship launched in 2018, winning the Regional Forester’s Honor Award for creating and implementing the partnership. Five graduates from the program’s first cohort are now working full time for the forest service. All are working in natural resource or recreation specialist positions, all of which offer competitive salaries. Three graduates are working on various forests in Colorado, one is working on the Mendocino National Forest in California and a fifth is working on the Chugach National Forest in Alaska.

Left, Brittany Le Tendre earned a bachelor’s degree in sustainability studies from CMC Vail Valley and an associate degree in natural resources from CMC Leadville. Here, she trains with her U.S. Forest Service mentor, Kelsi Potetti, a wilderness recreation technician, surveying downed timber in the White River National Forest. Le Tendre now works as a recreation technician with the Pike-San Isabel National Forests.

Shelby Pierce earned her bachelor’s degree in sustainability studies from CMC Steamboat Springs in 2018 and completed her internship last year. She is now is a natural resource specialist with the Clear Creek Ranger District on the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests.

Even with the district office closed due to the pandemic, Pierce has stayed employed through the past year. Her work is focused on permitting and managing outfitters and guides, as well as serving as a forest service liaison at Loveland Ski Area.

“The internship gave me hands-on training,” Pierce said. “Many forest service staff who have a position like mine have master’s degrees. I was able to get this job right after I finished my internship, which is pretty unheard of in the forest service. CMC and the internship gave me the indispensable training that allowed me to step into my position confidently.”

For more information about the Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship, visit https://coloradomtn.edu/academics/internship-program/usfs-internship/

Prepare for a Career with the Forest Service

• • What: The Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship, a two-year paid internship with Colorado Mountain College and the USDA Forest Service
  • Who can apply:
    • – CMC students studying biology, geology, natural resource management, outdoor recreation leadership, ski area operations or other related fields
    • – those who apply to CMC for a bachelor’s degree program
    • – those who currently hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher) with at least 24 successfully completed science courses
    • Once enrolled at CMC, interns need to pursue a bachelor’s degree in sustainability studies or a certificate in public lands management.
  • Where: CMC Steamboat Springs (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests) or CMC Leadville or CMC Spring Valley – Glenwood Springs (White River National Forest)
  • Application deadline: March 15, 2021
  • More information: Dr. Nathan Stewart, Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship program director at nlstewart@coloradomtn.edu or 970-870-4562, or https://coloradomtn.edu/academics/internship-program/usfs-internship/

CMC Trustees Raise Tuition                                                     

The Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees held a regularly scheduled work session and meeting via Zoom on Jan. 26, 2021.

Trustees voted unanimously to increase tuition for 2021-22 by $5 per credit hour, for all categories except non-resident students, who will see no tuition increase. With lower fees for the college’s Learning Materials Program (textbooks and other materials, discussed further below), the actual net increase in the costs of tuition and books is only $1 per credit hour, trustees heard.

In its third year, the CMC Learning Materials Program provides books and other learning materials for students for a standard per-credit fee. The board’s action reduced the LMP fee by $4, from $29 per credit hour to $25 per credit hour.

Students at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville conduct research and studies outdoors. Photo: Leadville Today

Tuition rates for 2021-22 will be $90/credit for in-district students, $180/credit for service-area students, $190/credit for in-state students and $466/credit for non-resident students. Though other colleges have not yet announced their tuition rates for next year, CMC administrators expect that the college will continue to have among the most affordable tuition and fees in the state and the nation.

Additionally, the board voted to approve several tuition discounts. One such discount is to encourage older students, those aged 23 and older, to take more credits and therefore increase their likelihood of finishing a degree or certificate. In this program, in-district adult students enrolled in 12 credit hours or more would receive six of those credit hours for free, after completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This scholarship follows a precedent set by the highly successful President’s Scholarship, which grants $1,000 to graduating high school seniors after they complete a FAFSA.

The board also approved a new discount program designed to recruit and retain CMC students to work in local businesses, thereby aiding the economic recovery and long-term economic health of our region. The “learn like a local” program allows non-resident and in-state students to benefit from in-district tuition rates, which will be paid by local employers, in return for agreeing to work a regular workload or accept a job upon graduation. This is a modification to the existing District Employer Sponsored Rate.

Katie Soulliere earned a bachelor’s degree in sustainability studies from CMC Steamboat Springs. Here, during her Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship in 2018, she uses a Trimble GPS device to delineate the Allen Basin watershed in the Routt National Forest. Soulliere now works full time as a realty specialist with the Medicine Bow-Routt national forests.

Housing Greatest Cost for Students

Planning ahead for the 2021-22 budget, college leadership is focused on maintaining ongoing operating costs at or below inflation (roughly 3%). The college is also embarking on a significant initiative to bring additional housing opportunities to a region where housing prices increased faster than inflation in 2020. Housing is one of the greatest costs of attending college for those living within the CMC footprint.

Trustees voted to introduce or increase course-specific fees in automotive service technology, environmental science, phlebotomy, introduction to clinical skills, product design, and career and professional skills in sustainability. In addition, they approved introducing or increasing instructional program fees in action sports business, ski and snowboard business, digital media, graphic design and professional photography.

Trustees approved an increase in student fees at CMC Steamboat Springs, which was introduced by student government and approved by 90.1% of students voting on that campus. The Steamboat Student Government Association requested that the fee structure change to a flat rate, with a net increase of $15 for full-time students, thus providing more funding for sponsored events, and for health and wellness opportunities. Student fees at Spring Valley and Leadville, the college’s other residential campuses, remain the same as 2020-21.

Trustees also increased room (housing) and board rates by 4.9% and 3.6%, respectively.  However, CMC management reported that the proposed room rate is a “not to exceed” rate that may be adjusted downward to encourage students to return to campus in fall 2021.

On the third and final reading, trustees unanimously approved a lease on the Leadville campus, with Charter (formerly Bresnan) Communications. This is for a long-term lease of a cell tower, which had previously been leased on a month-to-month basis.

Trustees adopted the following:

• Second-quarter 2020-21 financials
• Locations for posting notices of meetings of the CMC Board of Trustees
• The spring sabbatical report
• Changes to board policy 6.11, clarifying expectations of work hours for exempt employees.

In the work, session trustees discussed the budget and tuition planning, as well as strategic housing investments.

The NEW Lake County Elementary School