The Mancos RE-6 school board on Monday swore in its first student board members, heard about the need for an athletic trainer, discussed unexpected expenditures and received an update on affordable housing.
Mancos juniors Rosalinda Phillips and Olivia Jukes were sworn in by Superintendent Todd Cordrey and sat at the table with the board members after the ceremony.
Board President Emily Hutcheson-Brown informed those in attendance that Phillips and Jukes are fully part of the board and can ask questions and provide input but can’t vote.
The board then entered the citizen comment period.
A mother expressed the need for an athletic trainer, saying that a trainer would have expedited her son’s recovery from a concussion suffered while playing football.
She said that a physician in Cortez asked if two concussion tests had been done after his injury. She said it was “embarrassing” to admit that Mancos didn’t have an athletic trainer.
Coaches are trained in concussion protocol, but the mother said it was not the coach’s responsibility to stop everything during a game to perform screenings.
After hearing from the District Accountability Committee, the board revisited their Portrait of a Graduate competencies to make sure they are up to date.
Hutcheson-Brown suggested looking at them in detail at their December retreat.
Also in December, five Mancos students, including Phillips and Jukes, will attend the Colorado Association of School Boards’ student retreat. There, said board member Victor Figueroa, students learn leadership skills and the state of education across Colorado and the nation with students from other Colorado districts.
Rachel McWhirter gave an update on BOCES, sharing that the Montezuma-Cortez school district has pulled its application to withdraw from BOCES for the year.
She said Cortez likely would apply again next year and eventually would withdraw, with financial implications for the district.
In the financial portion of the meeting, the board learned the district faces more than $200,000 of unanticipated expenditures. About $65,000 is for repairs for the track, roof and a panel. The other $145,000 is from the student count being down from their budgeted amount of students.
“Last year we budgeted for a higher number of students than actually are attending,” Hutcheson-Brown told The Journal. “We did not lose any students, our numbers are actually up; our budget was overzealous. All of which resulted in about $200,000 that we were not expecting to navigate. The emergency expenses may come out of capital reserve … the budget shortfall we will simply restructure budgets now and make it all work.”
Because of the unexpected expenses, the board will be looking where they can save money.
“Treat this budget as you would your own,” the board asked.
In discussion items, the board heard an update from Cordrey about the school’s consideration of potentially providing affordable housing to teachers and staff. The board’s look into affordable housing options comes as living prices continue to skyrocket and “outpace” raises the district is able to give its staff.
Cordrey said Phases 1 and 2 of the district’s bus barn property came back with a “fantastic report.”
At the end of the meeting, Hutcheson-Brown said the board would start sharing something they learned or were surprised by each meeting.
Student board member Phillips said she was surprised to hear a school board talk about housing, and student needs and perspectives.
“I learned a lot,” Phillips said.
Jukes agreed.
“I agree. I like how the students are a big part of what’s brought up, and starting to learn how the finances and whatnot work and just how much goes into that,” Jukes said.
The next Mancos school board meeting is Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
