The Mancos RE-6 Board of Education on Aug. 22 discussed BOCES, the new school year, safety and security, and concerns about the impact on preschool students after issues have arisen among universal preschool organizers.
In board reports, Tim Hunter asked the Mancos board’s representative from San Juan BOCES, Katie Cahill-Volpe, if Montezuma-Cortez’s representative Sherri Wright had provided a timeline or other update regarding their exit from BOCES.
Cahill-Volpe said that when Durango pulled out of BOCES, they “had a very succinct plan” prior to their exit, but said Cortez’s exit has been different.
“No one has seen that plan as of yet from Montezuma-Cortez’s district,” she said.
She went on to say that Wright told those present at the BOCES meeting that Cortez did have a plan and “would be ready according to the timeline.”
In Todd Cordrey’s superintendent report, he applauded the “strong start” to the school year, and praised the district’s strong staff for doing their part to start the school year off right.
Cordrey, who is in his third year as Mancos’s superintendent, said they were taking off with good momentum early in the school year.
“The staff is really strong, and it shows,” he said.
He noted some risks for the school year, including the food, transportation and custodial services, saying staffing was “tight,” and they could not function well if staff left or went on an extended vacation.
He added that they had staffed those areas tight, however, to ensure they were better able to adequately compensate staff.
He also shared potential issues with Colorado’s universal preschool after a new lawsuit.
Gov. Jared Polis, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the Colorado Department of Education face a lawsuit filed earlier this month by six Colorado districts and two education groups located in the state.
Their lawsuit says the universal preschool program is “rife” with issues, and will cause children to go without special-education services, full-day preschool classes and more.
Cordrey shared his concerns about preschool funding and how preschool-age students in the area would be affected depending on the results of the lawsuit, but again pointed to strong staff in the preschool and a new administrator in the preschool.
“We’re rocking and rolling,” he said.
The board also discussed upcoming financial audits and grants before moving on to a safety and security update from Travis Greenlee.
In his presentation, Greenlee gave an update on progress in the area of safety and security, as well as goals for the future.
He spoke of emergency drills they could practice and expressed his desire to have first responders present so they could weigh in on the plan as well.
He said he would reach out to Montezuma County Emergency Manager Jim Spratlen.
Greenlee told the board that the safety and security team prepares for physical, psychological and technological threats and that they were working to get experts in each field to give advice and look over the plan.
He said bullying was a safety concern.
The board went on to discuss the upcoming school board election, noting that candidates must turn in their signatures by Sept. 1. After that date, they would organize a forum and release a PSA letting members of the community and potential new board members know when and where the forum would take place.
They also went over new student and community surveys and potential opt-out options for those who don’t wish to answer specific questions.
The surveys were approved in action items, and the new health curriculum was approved with a caveat proposed by Emily Hutcheson-Brown that parents could opt their children out of parts of the ninth-grade curriculum that they found “objectionable.”
