At their June board meeting, the Mancos RE-6 school board said their farewells to Superintendent Todd Cordrey, discussed the budget and student averages and went over a conflict of interest policy for school board members.
“Over the last four years of time, Mr. Cordrey has poured in, I cannot even explain how many countless hours of dedication and heart into this school district for students and for staff,” board President Emily Hutcheson-Brown said.
Hutcheson-Brown attributed many positive gains to Cordrey’s efforts, and shared how he had inspired and impacted students throughout the district.
She added that the district capital reserves is nearly triple from what it was when Cordrey first came on through grants and other efforts.
Salaries also raised by $9,000 over the course of his tenure, and the portrait of a graduate and portrait of a district were crafted with his help.
“You have made a difference, and you have left an indelible mark on this district in just four years,” Hutchison-Brown said. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
The district’s new superintendent, Audrey Hazleton, will start this summer. She is already reportedly doing some hours in June to work with Cordrey before he leaves.
In the report on the budget, the board was informed that the budget is “lean” for the upcoming school year, and the district must be careful with its expenditures. If the student count rises before the start of the school year, the district will receive additional money that will help with the budget constraints.
The budget, however, is balanced and the district has a “healthy” reserve.
The district also welcomed new elementary school Principal Mary Marable, who was formerly a math teacher at Mancos High School.
Board member Rachel McWhirter shared information regarding student averages, noting that the majority of Mancos’s students are performing above grade level (50 percentile).
“Our school did amazing. They grew so much in both (English and math),” McWhirter said.
She specifically noted that K-5 is ranked a little over 50th percentile, the middle school is at 54th percentile and the high school is at 68th percentile.
In action items, the board went over a conflict of interest policy that would apply to the individuals serving in board member seats. According to the members’s discussions, board members who have conflict of interest in certain areas of the district (such as a spouse working in one of the schools), may either recuse themselves from a vote, or the board may ask them to abstain from voting.
Victor Figueroa was vehemently against the potential policy, saying that voters voted in five members of the school board to use their voices in votes, not just those who don’t have spouses in the district. He added that he is the only board member whose spouse is working in the district.
Following the discussion, Figueroa recused himself from an action item vote due to potential conflict of interest.
