Durango School District board member Katie Stewart said she will resign effective Dec. 31.
Stewart has served in the position since September 2021.
She also serves as a state lawmaker. She was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives for House District 59 in November 2024 and has been serving in the role since January 2025.
“It has been an honor to serve this community for the past four-plus years, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow, and work alongside so many dedicated educators, families, students, and community partners,” she said in a prepared statement after Tuesday’s school board meeting. “... Although it is not easy to step away, I do so knowing that the district is moving forward with purpose, vision, and strong leadership. I remain committed to the success of all students in Durango and across Colorado and I will continue to support public education through my work at the State Capitol.”
School board positions are filled by appointment when midterm vacancies occur outside the regular election cycle, according to state law and Colorado Association of School Board guidance.
District spokeswoman Karla Sluis said the board will formally declare the vacancy by resolution at the next board work session in January. The board will then have 60 days to appoint a new member to represent District D.
The candidate process will likely involve letters of interest followed by interviews, Sluis said, and will follow all state law and Colorado Association of School Board guidelines.
The board will outline the full timeline and process for the board member search at the January work session, which will be held 5:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at Riverview Elementary School.
Stewart told The Durango Herald that she has enjoyed her work on the board but feels it is time to step away from the position as she prepares to enter her second session in the Legislature, which begins Jan. 14.
Stewart cited a range of work by the board she has been proud to be a part of, including engaging in student advocacy through passing bonds, working toward sustainability initiatives, pursuing more STEM education, concurrent enrollment and career technical opportunities for students, and working to improve cost-of-living for educators.
“I love this work. I love that small incremental change over the last five years has created huge change across the district overall,” she said. “...The list of accomplishments for the district under the collaborative leadership of the board, Dr. Cheser, her executive team, staff, students, families and community members is hard to quantify. ... This new chapter is very bittersweet – I will miss the work and my colleagues, but I’m able to continue my advocacy for public education at the state level.”
Stewart was first appointed to the position in September in 2021. At the time, board member Andrea Parmenter had to vacate her District D seat to run in District E because she moved.
Stewart then ran unopposed for the District D seat in 2023, but since there was no opposition the election was canceled and she was sworn in.
epond@durangoherald.com
