Cherylin Peniston

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Cherylin Peniston
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 35th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 10, 2007[1]
Preceded by	Ann Ragsdale
Born	March 3, 1948 (1948-03-03) (age 60) Chicago, Illinois
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	W.J.[2]
Profession	Teacher
Religion	Methodist[2]

Cherylin Naylor Peniston^[2] (born 3 March 1948^[3]) is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. A career public school teacher, Peniston was first elected as a Democrat in 2006 to the Colorado House of Representatives. She represents House District 35, which encompasses most of Westminster, Colorado and portions of Arvada.^[4]

Contents 1 Biography 2 Legislative career 2.1 2006 election 2.2 2007 legislative session 2.3 2008 legislative session 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Biography

Born in Chicago, Illinois,^[3] Peniston earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of La Verne in 1970,^[2] and spent her career teaching social studies and foreign languages at Scott Carpenter Middle School in Adams County School District 50 from 1971 to 1999.^[3]

While teaching, she earned her master's degree in International Studies from the University of Denver in 1990, and won two Fulbright Scholarships to study abroad — for six weeks in Egypt in 1987 and for three weeks in Japan in 1997.^[2][5]

Between 1999 and 2003, Peniston was elected to two terms as president of the Westminster Education Association, the local union associated with the National Education Association.^[2] She was also a member of the District 50 Education Foundation, and was also a substitute teacher at Scott Carpenter Middle School from 2003 until 2006.^[3]

From 2005 to 2006, Peniston was Assistant Secretary of the Adams County Democratic Party,^[3] and was a member of the Adams County Democratic Latino PAC and the Colorado Democratic Latino Initiative.^[2] Peniston is married; she and her husband, W.J., have two children, Erin and Geoffry, and at least one grandchild.^[2][5]

[edit] Legislative career

Bills Introduced in 2007 by Rep. Peniston (for which Rep. Peniston is the primary originating sponsor)
BILL	TITLE	OUTCOME
HB07-1055	Concerning requirements applicable to the implementation of a reduction in educator salaries by a school district.	Postponed indefinitely in House committee
HB07-1119	Concerning an increase in the fee paid to a county clerk and recorder to act as authorized agent of the department of revenue.	Signed by Gov. Ritter
HB07-1201	Concerning the voluntary contribution designation benefiting the pet overpopulation fund that appears on the state individual income tax return forms [...]	Signed by Gov. Ritter
HB07-1244	Concerning the provision of educational programs to gifted students.	Signed by Gov. Ritter
HB07-1254	Concerning recodification of statutes for the Colorado State University system.	Signed by Gov. Ritter

[edit] 2006 election

Spurred to run for elected office because of her experiences as a teacher and union leader,^[6] Peniston was elected to the state house in 2006, first winning the Democratic party primary over Jeff Vigil^[7] and then defeating Republican Ruben Pacheco by a 2:1 margin, winning a predominantly Democratic district^[4] in which Pacheco did not run an active campaign. Peniston was endorsed both by the Rocky Mountain News^[8] and the Denver Post,^[9] as well as by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.^[10]

[edit] 2007 legislative session

In the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Peniston sat on the House Education Committee and the House Local Government Committee. ^[11] Peniston's only unsuccessful bill during the 2007 session was a measure to require that school districts which make budget cutbacks cut pay for administrators as well as teachers; it was killed in a Senate committee.^[12]

Following the legislative session, Peniston served on the legislature's Police Officers' and Firefighters' Pension Reform Commission.^[13]

[edit] 2008 legislative session

In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Peniston sits on the House Education Committee and the House Local Government Committee. ^[14]

Peniston worked with elementary school students in Adams County to draft and sponsor a measure to name the Western painted turtle the Colorado state reptile.^[15] After passing the General Assembly, the bill was signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter at the students' school.^[16]

Peniston has also sponsored legislation to require that adopted pets be spayed or neutered,^[17] to allow gifted children to enter kindergarden or first grade at earlier ages,^[18][19] to create curricula for students in juvenile detention or residential treatment,^[20] and to allow residential projects as part of transit-oriented development in conjuncton with FasTracks.^[21][22]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Colorado General Assembly profile