Lower enrollment numbers for the upcoming school year could take a substantial financial toll on Montezuma-Cortez schools.
As of Tuesday evening, 2,047 students enrolled in the district, compared with about 2,500 students last year. About 1,300 students have enrolled for in-person classes, and 691 for online classes.
In a presentation to the Montezuma-Cortez Board of Education, Superintendent Lori Haukeness said that if 322 students do not enroll for the new school year, the district would lose $749,864. If 166 students do not enroll, the district would lose $490,266.
School board member Chris Flaherty said some parents don’t like the district’s “stance on COVID-19,” and don’t want their children to go to school under social distancing or mask guidelines.
Colorado Distance Learning Solutions’ online curriculum and platform, which Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1 will use for online students, has helped retain students who might have chosen an outside online option, Haukeness said.
But if parents decide to move their online students into in-person classes, the school must be ready to absorb them, Flaherty said.
To align class sizes with COVID-19 safety guidelines and to prepare teachers to absorb additional in-person students, physical classrooms will have up to 25 students, and online classes will have 35 students.
Elementary school students who take classes online will have a district teacher. The district hasn’t decided whether middle school and high school students will have a teacher from the district or a remote teacher from Colorado Distance Learning Solutions.
An on-site tutor will be available for students in Towaoc.
Because 34% of students will be online, the online program will operate as a school with its own support staff, said Assistant Superintendent Carol Mehesy.
Some teachers volunteered to go online, because they are “willing to do what it takes for our students,” Mehesy said.
“We’re just excited to get school started,” Haukeness said.
Parents are already feeling the impact of budget cuts, particularly to transportation. Students in rural areas as young as age 6 will have bus stops along busy highways, in some cases miles from their home.
Previously, the school district offered door-to-door transportation, which helped working parents who might not be able to pick their students up at 3 p.m. from a bus stop.
Board member Sheri Noyes said she was “disappointed (the notice) went out as late as it did,” but with COVID-19, things can change at the last minute.
Board member Sherri Wright said the district has to “cut where we can so we have a sound education for all children.”
ehayes@the-journal.com
