The Dolores School District Re-4A has seen some significant changes in recent weeks that include technology, staffing and facilities.
The Oct. 10 regular school board meeting was the last one for directors Vangi McCoy and Deanna Truelsen, whose terms expire in November.
“They have a heart for the community,” said Superintendent Lis Richard of those who choose to serve on the board. “And we have two ladies who have served well.”
McCoy was appointed to the board in 2009 and elected to the post in 2011. She is an educator and coordinator of the Montelores Early Childhood Council.
In 2018, she retained her seat after voters rejected a recall.
Truelsen was elected to the position in 2011. She is co-owner of the Ponderosa Restaurant in town.
The district’s new transportation building near the Skyline gas station has been completed. “We’re really pleased with it,” Richard said at the latest board meeting.
In other facilities news, the gym floor project was completed, but renovations are required to address safety concerns, Richard reported at the meeting.
A flood in March destroyed the floor.
Richard said the project initially was completed in a way that was deemed unsafe, and the district had received a letter stating that referees would not officiate basketball games.
However, the Colorado School Districts Self Insurance Pool agreed to re-examine the floor and pay for the new renovations, Richard said.
The district’s digital presence has some updates too.
The district website has been revamped to be more user-friendly and informational. Technology director Mark Baxter said they were looking to “fine-tune” the page right now, and he encouraged residents to examine it for missing elements.
Re-4A also has a new app, available on Apple and Android devices. The app notifies parents about district news and updates to the webpage.
The board unanimously approved a student-created academic crest to represent the Re-4A school district and to be used consistently on letterheads.
“There is a missing piece of identity, and we’re trying to bring the community together,” Richard said.
The new crest features a shield with four images emblematic of the district, she said: books to represent academics, a scale to represent a “balanced approach to education,” mountains and a river for an appreciation of resources and community, and a torch to represent “character, scholarship, leadership and service.”
At the bottom, “creativity,” “integrity” and “excellence” represent qualities the schools seek.
The board voted 3-2 to support Proposition CC on this year’s ballot. Directors Casey McClellan and Lenetta Shull were the dissenting votes.
Proposition CC would allow the state to keep revenue collected above limits set by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, requiring the state to spend the unrefunded money equally on K-12, higher education and transportation.
The Legislative Council Staff and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting estimate Proposition CC would generate $69,575 to $91,634.
By the Legislative Council’s estimates, based on allocations of $100 per student for Dolores’ current student count, Proposition CC would generate $69,575 for the 2019-20 fiscal year. The Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting estimates, based on allocations of $132 per student, the measure would bring in $91,634 for the same year.
The Dolores board was split on whether to support the measure.
“I don’t see a whole lot of value in this,” said board vice president Casey McClellan. He said the district needs more than the projected allotments.
However, others said that it was a start and that they should align their vote with the Colorado Association of School Boards, which also supported the measure.
“I think it is a step in the right direction,” McCoy said.
ealvero@the-journal.com
