Though Durango School District 9-R is facing tough issues, including a $1.6 million deficit, problematic dropout rates and sluggish test scores, nine of the 10 candidates jockeying for seats on the 9-R board joined in an articulate, thoroughly collegial voters forum Thursday night.
While the candidates at City Hall abstained from the sentimental platitudes, such as “The children are our future,” that often gum up political discussions about education, their collective restraint proved one of many areas of accord.
Every candidate in the La Plata County League of Women Voters-sponsored forum said they supported the Common Core; they’d each undertaken extensive preparations for serving on the school board; they all said bullying was tragic and ubiquitous; and they all understood the board operated on the principle of “policy governance,” whereby board members do not micromanage schools, but instead deal directly with the superintendent.
All the candidates said they favored comprehensive sex education that emphasizes birth control and disease prevention starting from a young age, as well as parents’ right to opt out.
There are four competitive races and one candidate is running unopposed:
Incumbent Stephanie Moran is running against Steve Brittain in District B.
Incumbent Andy Burns is running against Michael Wanger in District C.
Nancy Stubbs is running unopposed in District E.
Kim Martin and Erica Max are competing in District F.
Incumbent Carolyn Smith is running against Mike Souder and DeeDee Kendall – who did not attend the forum – in District G.
The candidates, who often appeared cheerfully dismayed by their total agreement with one another, frequently tried to differentiate themselves by invoking their biographies and experiences.
For instance, every candidate said he or she had ample experience overcoming adversity, with Wanger and Brittain citing their histories of conflict resolution in the courthouse, Max and Martin recounting negotiations with their strong-willed children, and Moran attributing her comfort with rancor to growing up in New Jersey.
The candidates were in passionate unison in urging the passage of Amendment 66, a statewide ballot initiative that will increase per-pupil funding for Durango students by $493.
Smith said the district had already “cut down to the bare minimum.”
“We’ve already had to cut programs, cut employees. Employees’ salaries are 80 percent of our budget, so we’d have to start there, and that would be very bad for our kids,” she said.
Wanger agreed. “I don’t know what to cut at this point,” he said.
Max and Martin agreed that if Amendment 66 fails to pass, forcing the board to make cuts, they’d turn to Superintendent Daniel Snowberger to make recommendations.
“Dan is the man,” they agreed.
The school calendar was the only subject on which the candidates disagreed.
Smith said given the research that showed students forget a great deal throughout the course of long summers, she favored extending the calendar by one or two weeks at the end of the school year.
Moran said she preferred to keep the calendar the same, but offer courses to at-risk students – whom research shows are particularly hurt by shorter school years – throughout the summer.
Brittain said he supported modifying the calendar in some way but agreed with opponent Moran that the district should offer at-risk students options through the summer.
Burns said he was more perturbed that district students were in school for 175 days, fewer days than the state and national average, and hoped to extend the school year to 180 days.
Wanger, Max and Souder agreed long summers were important.
Martin and Stubbs said year-round calendars could be wonderful, but shouldn’t be forced on unwilling communities, with Martin saying she also agreed with Wanger that school was “about quality, not quantity.”
