At their board meeting on Aug. 9, Dolores County School District Re-2J discussed Rico schools’ potential annexation, updates on the new elementary school and back-to-school preparation among other items.
An update was given on the new elementary school, which is being funded by the BEST grant. According to the update, the building permit is in review by the state. The construction budget is at $19.6 million, and the BEST grant budget is nearly $23 million.
Neenan Construction is still waiting on some bids for things such as site concrete and flooring before finalizing the budget. Others have been making furniture selections, and “the team came back with some great design input,” according to the update.
The current schedule is the foundation, which is the main task on-site. Interior pad footings are being excavated and perimeter spread footings are being formed. Concrete will also be poured this month.
Board reviews have been scheduled per the recently completed District Strategic plan for Dove Creek schools. This month's reviews were for Social Emotional Learning counselor Aubrie Cook-Carnahan and the district budget.
The district’s new counselor and behavioral specialist and other building leaders presented on Social Emotional Learning in the buildings. This school year, they will be determining the SEL needs in the schools as well as discussing the need for a district program.
They will be researching various programs and creating a plan to implement a new program next fall.
In the budget review, the current budget reporting was discussed, and they made a plan to restructure reports so the information can be better presented to the board.
In October, the board will host a work session to complete the superintendent evaluation, and they are going through the process of redistrict the school board districts. This process will begin in December, as they need to wait for the results of the November vote, should Rico’s detachment be finalized.
Staff and student handbooks for the upcoming school year were approved by the board with no big changes to either handbook and continued alignment with district policies.
The board agenda was also changed to align with the district’s strategic plan and to provide more detail for readers. The attendance flow chart for the building leaders was also adjusted to give the leaders more choices in meeting the requirements of the district attendance policy.
The Rico planning committee completed its annexation plan, and it is scheduled to be on the ballot in November. The plan will be voted on by the community members in the Dolores County School District and the Telluride School District R-1.
If passed, students in Rico will be under Telluride’s school district instead of Dolores County’s.
The official wording and certifying of the ballot content was tabled to a later date and the date for the special meeting for this is yet to be determined.
The district also entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Dolores and San Miguel Counties, as there will be board seats on the ballot along with the vote on Rico’s detachment.
By the Fair Campaign Practices Act, the district and its employees will not be able to use district time or funds after the ballot language has been approved by the boards. At their next meeting, the planning committee will set a date to dissolve the committee, and once the committee is dissolved, an issue committee will be formed for the campaign.
The next Dove Creek Board meeting will take place on Sept. 20.
