Local schools are transitioning back into the classroom, and some new and notable changes, additions and announcements are on the docket for the new school year.
Durango School District – formerly known as Durango School District 9-R – will be officially back to school on Tuesday and has several prominent changes and announcements for the coming school year.
Karla Sluis, public information officer for DSD, announced that a Strategic Planning Steering Committee, meant to guide the priorities of the district, is being launched this month in collaboration with the Colorado Education Initiative. Perspectives are welcomed by parents, staff members and community partners, she said. The committee will meet between August and November, and a new plan for the district will be launched in January 2026.
Miller Middle School is touting a new bus loop, updated landscaping, and a football and track field with a scoreboard, after summer construction, Sluis said. A new special education bus has also been put into circulation to provide students with additional hands-on work experiences in the community, according to an email sent out to families this week.
Designs and a four-phase master construction schedule have also recently been approved for Three Springs Elementary School, which is set to replace Florida Mesa Elementary School in 2028.
Construction this year will revolve around low-flow water fixtures, fleet replacements at transportation and technology replacements, Sluis said.
DSD is also leaning into student-driven, hands-on learning this year, especially within the district’s Career & Technical Education pathways program at the Impact Career Innovation Center and through STEM learning units that “allow students to explore AI, robots, coding and media centers,” she said.
Changes are additionally being made to the Portrait of a Graduate program, now in its third year of operation across all grades in DSD’s 11 schools. A PoG Rockstars multischool committee has been formed to adapt and improve the PoG curriculum for K-5 grades, Sluis said.
Upcoming announcements on staff housing, expansions to the DSD SOIL community and education garden and its programs, and the implementation of online platform Abre for K-5 grades, used to report on educational progress, are also coming down the pike for this year, she said.
Bayfield School District 10 Jt-R students reentered the classroom between Aug. 11 and Aug. 14.
“We had great attendance at back to school, and our staff is fired up to be back,” said Bayfield School District spokesperson Bob Bonnar.
Each year, the district assigns themes to each Bayfield school. This year, the intermediate school’s theme is “making legends,” he said.
“It’s something the staff and the students can rally around,” Bonnar said.
The district recently instated a new superintendent, former Durango School District Chief Academic Officer Dylan Connell.
Debbie Wilhelm, former vice president of the board, stepped down in June, creating an opportunity for a new member to join the leadership team. The application deadline for the position was July 6. A new vice president has not yet been named.
A main bullet point on the Bayfield School District docket this year is continuing to improve school safety and reach necessary benchmarks, according to a news release by the district.
The Board of Education will be reviewing the district’s three-year, state mandated Emergency Operations Plan, ensuring that “the district’s safety strategies (are) current and effective,” according to the release.
“It’s about preparation, vigilance, and making sure that everyone – students, staff, and our community – knows we’re committed to protecting them,” Assistant Superintendent Bill Hesford said in the release.
Ignacio School District 11-JT reentered the classroom Aug. 11 and Aug 12., and high spirits have been abounding throughout the transition, said Superintendent Christopher W. deKay.
“The last two weeks, with both staff and students, has been very positive – a lot of excitement,” he said.
The district is in the midst of school board elections, and is currently hiring for several staff positions.
All district principals and directors returned this year, according to a news release by deKay. He cited the importance of “consistent and effective leadership” in the release.
Decreasing chronic absenteeism and employing K9 units for substance detection in Ignacio schools through partnerships with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office are two intentions on the docket for the Ignacio School District this year, the release said.
Another main goal for this school year, the release said, is to “enhance student engagement through research-based strategies.”
These strategies will include regularly scheduled Professional Learning Communities, “safety nets” for struggling and advanced students, and professional development focusing on “formative and summative assessments to gauge student growth and understanding,” deKay said.
“Things are really moving in a good way,” he said. “Our mantra is ‘stay the course.’ Things have been trending in a really good way – in an upward way, in a positive way – and we want to ensure that we're focusing on our mission statement and our strategic goals.”
Mountain Middle School and Animas High School also have a few notable happenings lined up for the coming school year, both new and ongoing.
Mountain Middle School students are set to return to the classroom Monday. Executive Director Shane Voss said notable announcements and updates for this year include construction being underway for a new outdoor student play area, dedicated special education teachers being hired for each grade level, and a continuation of Civics Day, an event where middle schoolers engage in active volunteering for nonprofits in the community.
“(We’re) excited to secure some more property near the school and have more play space for the kids, (and) we’ve added some additional support staff this year, so our staff has grown,” he said. “(It’s been) exciting this week, just seeing the teachers collaborating and getting ready for the school year.”
AHS will return to the classroom on Tuesday and the school is just about to launch Beyond the Bell, a brand new podcast for the AHS community, said Libby Cowles, interim director of enrollment and community outreach at AHS. The seven-episode podcast, hosted by Fort Lewis College associate professor of sociology Michael Rendon and AHS Board Treasurer Greg Phillips, “address(es) today’s biggest educational challenges with local educators, mental health experts and community leaders,” according to an AHS news release. The podcast is set to be officially released within the next week or two, Cowles said.
Another notable happening at AHS this school year, she said, is the nationwide search the school is conducting for its next Head of School. AHS has implemented a collaborative leadership team for the time being as it conducts its search.
“The start of the school year, which included an overnight to Deer Hill Expeditions basecamp in Mancos for all teachers and staff, as well as project-based learning training from Nuvia Ruland of High Tech High’s Graduate School of Education, has felt really positive,” Cowles said.
epond@durangoherald.com
