In November, the Dolores School district will ask voters to continue collecting a mill levy that expires in 2016.
The tax provides the district with $390,000 per year, and is earmarked for technology, educators, and keeping teacher salaries competitive.
"It represents 7 percent of our budget," said superintendent Scott Cooper. "We're asking to extend it until 2016. It won't increase taxes, rather approving it will keep the tax rate the same."
A community meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 21 at 6 p.m. in the Dolores Schools' commons to discuss the ballot measure. Information on the mill levy override will be provided and residents are encouraged to discuss what they would like seen done with the money.
"We want the community to tell us their hopes and dreams for the school, and provide ideas for what we should spend it on," Cooper said.
One area that needs the funding is the middle school, officials said.
Several middle school teachers gave a presentation to the school board regarding the loss of teaching staff next year due to the sixth grade moving back to the elementary school.
"With the move, we lose three of our teachers, bringing our core teaching staff to five with an estimated class size of 25 students for next year," said teacher Miriam Baines.
The teachers are asking for an additional math teacher and paraprofessional to help restore staffing.
Adjustments to the curriculum are also needed, said teacher Mike Nielson, in order to meet education goals for middle school's seventh- and eighth-grade students.
"We're being outperformed by other schools in math, reading, and writing," he said.
The teachers offered a solution to improve middle school math scores by rearranging the curriculum into math classes 1, 2, 3, and 4, and offering them each semester.
All students must pass all four classes, or repeat any failed class until mastery of the material. The new format would provide the time and staff for impactful remedial instruction, which is currently lacking.
Baines said the proposal does not reduce teacher work loads, and is a better system because eighth-graders currently are moving onto high school without adequate skills, especially in math.
"We're setting our students up for failure, and our scores are showing it," she said. "A little peer pressure in middle school to stay with their friends will encourage kids to pass math. And we can target those who do not pass with remedial instruction when they retake the class to get them over the hump."
In the midst of the recent building improvements at the high school, vo-ag department, and elementary, the middle school has gotten short shrift, the teachers said.
They said school needs include more educators, and improved building repairs, computer technology and textbooks.
"One of our history books has Carter as the last president. From a historical perspective it makes me cringe that on the Civil War there is no component that it was fought over slavery," Nielson said.
Superintendent Cooper agreed that additional teachers are needed for the middle school.
"I thank you for the well-thought-out proposal," he said. "The academic need is justifiable, and the first step is an additional math teacher. We're having problems in high school because we have not done a good enough job early on."
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
