Gov. John Hickenlooper this week accused the Jefferson County schools superintendent of playing politics over a perceived snub by the school district’s chief – a response that included a reference to a pop superstar’s visit to Jeffco a couple of years ago.

The Democratic governor recently sought permission from Jeffco schools to hold an education bill signing at Lakewood High School. Instead, his request was denied by conservative district Superintendent Dan McMinimee, who cited security and other logistical concerns.

Instead, Hickenlooper held a May 20 event to sign into law key changes to student testing policy from inside an old school house at a museum site in Lakewood. From there, Hickenlooper said he was “disappointed” with McMinimee’s decision.

“I think it introduces at least the impression of partisanship,” Hickenlooper told reporters after the bill signing, which was held on the grounds of the Lakewood Heritage Center.

Hickenlooper also took issue with district claims that a week’s notice was not enough time for staff to deal with security logistics for a potential visit.

“I don’t see how it can be security,” Hickenlooper said. “I mean, I went out there and saw Katy Perry there.”

The governor was referring to Perry’s 2013 performance at Lakewood High School, a visit that resulted in heavy security around campus. Hickenlooper also referenced the Perry visit during his remarks at the bill signing.

“The last time I was at Lakewood High School, Katy Perry was there and somehow she wasn’t a risk…,” Hickenlooper said to laughter.

Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy said the school also hosted a 2012 event with Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who at the time was a vice presidential candidate. Murphy said the city and the school district was only given a couple of days notice, but that all the necessary security was put in place.

“I just want to make sure if there’s any concerns about security, the Lakewood Police Department can handle it,” said Murphy, who is a registered Democrat, although his position as mayor is not party-affiliated.

Tensions between Democrats and the conservative school board have run high ever since voters swept right-wing reformers into power two years ago. Since then, the Jeffco school board has made headlines that stemmed from numerous controversies. They included a now-junked board proposal that would have made significant changes to its Advanced Placement history curriculum.

Lisa Pinto, a spokeswoman for Jeffco schools, said through an emailed statement that the governor’s visit “would have been a privilege, however it was unanticipated.”

Pinto said this is a busy time of year for students who are taking final exams and who are preparing to graduate from high school. Pinto said the early start time for the visit (the event started at 8:20 a.m.) also posed problems.

“There are 2,000 students at Lakewood who arrive in the morning,” Pinto’s statement reads. “It was not possible to host the governor, the media and community members who wanted to watch the bill being signed first thing in the morning during this busy time.”

Pinto also said the district “would have been happy to offer another venue, such as elementary school, which has been used in the past and where the logistical concerns do not exist.”

Before signing the bipartisan bills into law, Hickenlooper acknowledged the often-charged debate that surrounds education policy.

“I fear that it’s a reflection that education has become more polarized and more partisan,” the governor said. “And I think that’s why what we’re doing here is so important.”

Lawmakers pleased with results

The bills the governor signed on May 20 are a result of work from lawmakers who have long heard from parents that students are burdened with too many assessments. And many teachers have expressed frustration over having to constantly “teach to the test,” which they feel takes away from valuable classroom time.

House Bill 1323 makes key changes to state standardized testing policy across the K-12 grade levels.

Aside from 11th grade ACT testing, there will be no state-mandated tests for 11th and 12th grade students.

Tenth graders will receive assessments that are less time-consuming than the currently-mandated and polarizing Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests.

English language learners will not be required to take English tests for their first year of enrollment in a U.S. school. And when they test, their scores will not count toward teacher accountability measures for two years.

And teachers will not have to worry about 2014-2015 school year test results affecting their evaluations at all.

The law also creates a pilot program for districts that wish to use their own tests in place of state versions. Also, school readiness and READ Act assessments will be streamlined to simplify the assessment process and districts will be allowed to request pencil-and-paper versions of state assessments – a nod to some parents who have privacy concerns over electronic data collection.

The law incorporates many of the recommendations that were made by the Standards and Assessments Task Force that the Legislature created last year. The task force looked into the current testing structure and determined that there should be fewer testing requirements.

The governor also signed Senate Bill 056, a companion bill that Hickenlooper said would reduce K-12 social studies testing by an average of 11 hours. The bill was well received, even though some lawmakers and education activists wanted to do away with all social studies testing requirements.

“Without this, we would have lost social studies altogether,” Hickenlooper said. “And I think that would have been a terrible shame.”

Legislation to reduce testing nearly failed. That’s because a tug-of-war took place for months between lawmakers and education reform groups who wanted fewer testing reductions and lawmakers who sided with education activists who sought greater reductions.

Prospects for an agreement looked dim earlier this year after an initial effort to reduce testing failed to get off the ground at the Capitol.

“The path to victory of these bills… is littered with skeletons from other bills that went by the wayside,” said Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, who was a sponsor of both bills.

Sen. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, also sponsored HB 1323, although he acknowledges that he preferred more testing cuts.

“Some critics have said it didn’t go far enough and they’re right,” Holbert said.

But Holbert said compromise was needed in order to get to a final product that will benefit parents, teachers and students.

“If (House Bill) 1323 represents one thing, it is our ability as diverse representatives of diverse communities to come together and talk to each other and try to develop better policy,” he said.

Lawmakers who worked on this issue were in better spirits at the bill signing than they were during the final hours of the legislative session.

“This was one of the most difficult bills I’ve ever been a part of,” said Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, the vice chairwoman of the House Education Committee. “Every day it was a roller coaster. And we didn’t know until the last day whether we were going to have a piece of legislation that was going to go through.”

Rep. Jim Wilson, R-Salida, who also sponsored HB 1323, said he and his colleagues spent many long and cranky nights together debating this contentious issue, but that all of the hard work paid off.

“It’s amazing as I look out at all of these friendly faces that weren’t so friendly when we were working on this bill,” Wilson quipped. “Lo and behold, everyone is here and everyone is smiling and that’s good.”

– Twitter: @VicVela1