At the first district accountability committee meeting of 2025, the DAC was given a midyear budget update, goals update, and school accountability and community updates. They also went over the Southwest Open School charter renewal application.
In the budget update, the district’s executive director of finance, Danielle Brafford, explained that the district is in the process of deciding how to disperse the funds from the mill levy. The funds could be divided between contract years, this year and next year, or start fresh next year.
There will be a special board meeting to finalize what the mill levy will look like this year, and then a draft budget will be drawn up to be presented and voted on by the Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 school board.
The DAC revisited their discussion on the strategic plan and their goal of seeing increased support of teacher satisfaction and retention, coach satisfaction and retention, student recognition and a review of the strategic plan.
A member of the DAC met with high school principal Jennifer Boniface to talk about a recent staff survey. She said they talked about whether or not there can be a staff meeting or subcommittee that can talk about specific areas of the staff survey and have teachers brainstorm ideas that will help improve areas of concern.
Jack Parr, executive director of student academic services, said there was a brief discussion with the board on how to increase student recognition, explore different avenues and how it could work.
“Everybody’s on board, I think it’s just a matter of finding those things that are meaningful to everybody,” Parr said.
Part of the DAC’s responsibility is review charter applications and give their thoughts and recommendations on the renewal to the board. The interim director at SWOS, Joe Kelly, is set to be at the next work session to answer questions.
The DAC went over information about SWOS, including their student enrollment and increased revenue last year, noting that the district has never had any financial concerns when it comes to SWOS. The DAC said that SWOS is always on top of their grants and grant applications.
SWOS is considered an alternative education campus, but they are held to the same standards as a traditional high school.
The DAC and Parr also noted that SWOS uses a completion rate in place of a graduation rate. They added that the district’s graduation rate would probably increase if SWOS’s and MCHS’s rates were separated.
The dropout rate, however, would likely increase without SWOS’s presence in the community.
“I don’t think it’s outlandish to say that SWOS serves a purpose in this community for kids that are not able to or don’t want to be part of the traditional path,” Parr said.
Other members of the DAC referred to SWOS as an “extremely important resource” that has “very hands-on learning.”
The DAC gave their approval for the SWOS renewal application.
The next DAC meeting will take place on Monday, Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
