Durango School District Board of Education is seeking comment from residents before making a decision on the proposed Sunnyside Elementary School consolidation.
The proposed consolidation, which was announced earlier this month in a news release by the district, would involve Sunnyside Elementary School consolidating with Florida Mesa Elementary School for the 2027-28 school year, then both school populations moving to the new Three Springs Elementary School together for the 2028-29 school year.
The consolidation proposition, which has come amid a nearly $2 million deficit being faced by the district, was recommended by the district’s Budget and Financial Advisory committees, said Superintendent Karen Cheser.
The consolidation would save about $741,000, or roughly 1%, of the district’s overall budget, she said.
Stakeholders are invited to share their thoughts at two upcoming public forums, during public comment at the board’s next regular meeting April 28, and via an online feedback form that will open late this month, said district spokeswoman Karla Sluis.
Board member Andrea Parmenter told The Durango Herald at a recent board of education work session that feedback from the community will be an integral part of the board’s decision-making process.
“We’re In the process of collecting stakeholder feedback (so) we can really hear everybody’s voice before any decision is made,” Parmenter said. “It’s a big decision that affects a lot of people.”
The forums are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. April 27 at Sunnyside Elementary School, 75 County Road 218, and 6:30 p.m. May 5 at Florida Mesa Elementary School, 216 Highway 172.
The online form will be open for comment from April 27 to May 10.
To comment
For more information from the district on the proposed consolidation, visit www.durangoschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=514213&type=d&pREC_ID=2739359
Public forums
To sign up to comment at the 5:30 p.m. Monday community forum at Sunnyside Elementary School, visit www.docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdn5y4vRg3dSGBpZ0w041Qt85S2NNu4liZIVPC-2FLmdW6D8g/viewform
To sign up to comment at the 6:30 p.m. May 5 community forum at Florida Mesa Elementary School, visit www.docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdo4Acmk1-6EBc79T_FIboT9O9zCxqDDw1nCaGhm10YftrzoQ/viewform
Forms must be submitted by noon the day before the forums.
Regular board of education meeting
To sign up for public comment, in-person or via Zoom, at the Board of Education meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Impact Career Innovation Center, visit www.durangoschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=458611&type=d&pREC_ID=1657894. The sign-up link will open Monday at 5 p.m.
The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube, and can be accessed at www.youtube.com/live/CEQGxs4iL1I
Written comment
An online comment form will open Monday and remain open until May 10. Access to the form was not yet available as of Thursday.
Some in the Sunnyside community, including several teachers and one parent, opposed the proposed consolidation, saying the move would disrupt student stability, impact staff jobs and could cause families to leave the district.
Cheser said decreased enrollment in recent years at the small, 100-student school and rising per-pupil costs contributed to the consolidation being proposed – but finances are not the only factor.
“Our primary, primary reason for any kind of conversation about anything like this is just to make sure that our students have optimal learning experiences, and sometimes we’ll have to do things differently,” she said at a recent Board of Education work session.
District spokeswoman Karla Sluis said the new Three Springs Elementary build is being funded by the voter-approved $150 million 2024 Investing in Our Schools Bond – not by the district’s waning budget.
The bond can only be used for buildings and infrastructure; it can’t be used for salaries or staffing, said Kira Horenn, the district’s executive director of finance.
epond@durangoherald.com
