Sometimes you have to pack your whole life into an RV and just go for it.
That’s what Reece Blincoe did. He’s now the new interim superintendent for the Dolores RE-4A School District.
He’s taking over for Lis Richard, who resigned.
Fresh in from Georgetown, Texas, he’s finally making his two-decadeslong dream to live in Colorado a reality.
After working in education for 34 years — 11 as a superintendent — he retired.
But that didn’t last long.
“I have a very active mind, and that doesn’t stop,” he said. "I never really stopped looking into education.“
An outdoors enthusiast, Blincoe frequently visited Colorado, particularly Pagosa Springs, Durango, Dolores and even Frisco.
For Blincoe, the decision to take this job was a no-brainer.
“I knew a lot of people were retiring and that school districts really needed help — not only in Texas, but in Colorado as well,” he said.
He became particularly fond of the area during his occasional pursuits of elk, although he never had a successful hunt.
“I believe that elk are the most beautiful, majestic animals on this planet,” he said. “I may pick it up and do it again. I may just pick up my binoculars.”
His recreational interests include other outdoor pursuits.
In fact, he was in Frisco to compete in a triathlon when he heard that he’d been named a finalist for the superintendent position.
He headed back to Texas and filled a trailer with belongings to bring to the area.
His mother and stepfather were camping in Pagosa Springs at the time, and they asked if he needed to borrow their RV.
He said no. He would try to find a place.
Fast-forward to July 23. Blincoe was officially hired.
His first day was Monday, July 26.
He called his mom back.
“Leave the RV,” he said.
He’s moving into a house in downtown Dolores, where he will be in the center of things.
That’s the way he likes it.
“You're going to see me out and about,” he said. “I believe in being in the community.”
A lover of cycling, running, hiking and fly fishing, becoming a Coloradoan was a natural transition for him.
“I want people to know that I also fit Colorado,” he said. “So that's a big reason why I'm here.”
His daughters weren’t surprised by his decision.
A family man, he talks to them about four or five times a week, he said.
All he wants for his birthday and Christmas?
Framed pictures of them and his granddaughter, he said.
While the environment caters to his interests, Blincoe’s focus is bringing his expertise to Dolores.
As a former superintendent, his district was nominated as one of the top three small school districts in Texas for two consecutive years. He also led his school district to become the first to teach all second and third grade students how to play chess.
“An interim superintendent helps you get through a time process until you can hire your next superintendent,” he said. “So, I believe that to be my job.”
He is, however, interested in potentially staying on as the permanent superintendent.
“My goals are to help as much as I can this year, get school started,” he said. “Another one of my goals is obviously to keep all the students and staff safe.”
Blincoe is excited to boost concurrent credit opportunities in Dolores to foster career readiness — something he was passionate about in Texas.
He also will help to refine the district’s unified improvement plan and strategic plan.
“I was always a teacher,” he said. “People used to ask me, ‘Do you miss teaching?’ when I moved into administration, and I would tell them ‘Only every day.’”
He wants his main focus to be the students this year.
“Every decision we make is going to be based on that one concept,” he said. “What is best for students? Are we improving the community? Are we improving our students? Are we helping them realize their dreams? And if we're not, then we shouldn't be doing that thing.”
Blincoe is determined to do his best to make everybody happy, he said. He realizes every decision won’t always appeal to everyone, though.
If you see him around, Blincoe encourages you to come up and say, ‘Hi’.
“You’ll recognize my dog before you recognize me,” he said.
Look out for the fluffy, cute, black and white Bernedoodle named Bernie, he said.
His dog – a Bernese mountain dog and poodle mix – was born in Montrose, he said. Dolores was the first place he let him out for fresh air on the ride home — foreshadowing for his future, perhaps?
You can catch Blincoe running in this weekend’s 5K race as part of the Escalante Day celebrations.
