Some Durango-area schools were left in the lurch this summer when an insurance issue left them without bus service for the coming year.
For years, Durango School District 9-R has provided bus service for schools not part of the school district, such as Animas High School and Mountain Middle School. That became a problem when the school district changed its auto insurance in 2018. The new insurance covers only 9-R students, an issue that no one noticed until this summer, said Karen Cheser, Durango’s superintendent.
The schools believe the issue will be resolved by the first day of school next week.
“Since the second week of July, we have been working tirelessly to try to find a solution,” Cheser said. “We finally came to a solution this week.”
Before 2018, the school district pooled insurance used by most schools in the state. Under the insurance, Durango school buses could offer transportation to schools not part of the district.
But when something happened on the Front Range, it caused the entire state’s rate to rise. Durango changed its insurance carrier and ended up saving 10% to 20% on its insurance rates, Cheser said.
The insurance change, however, left non-district students uninsured while on Durango buses.
Cheser, who was hired as superintendent in March, said the district must not have known about the gap in coverage. District staff members believe they informed the insurance company about the bus service to non-district schools in the coverage application, she said.
“There is a difference of opinion. We believe they were notified. They believe they didn’t know, but they did have a transition in personnel,” Cheser said. “The bottom line is they will not take on the liability for those students.”
Justin Zufelt, whose children attend Animas High School and St. Columba School, said he learned about the issue in an Aug. 13 newsletter from the high school.
“I’m pretty nervous about it. I do not know what my option would be. My son does not have a driver’s license. I’m a single dad, and I work 12-hour shifts,” he said. “I don’t really have other options. We live pretty far away from the school, there’s no way they (his kids) could walk or bike. We’re pretty up the creek.”
Sean Woytek, head of school for Animas High School, said the high school regularly uses Durango school buses. For example on Wednesdays, all 200 students hop on the buses for physical education excursions.
“Probably about a dozen parents have reached out. We just told them we’re working on it,” he said.
After weeks of hard work, the team with USI Insurance Services, schools and their legal teams believe they have found a solution.
“I know it’s been a concern for the last several weeks, but we were always confident we would be able to solve the issue,” Cheser said.
The insurance company agreed to continue covering Durango schools if the non-district schools assumed the liability and risk for their students.
The school district can create a legal agreement with each school to clear up the issue. The district aims to finalize agreements this week.
Shane Voss, head of school for Mountain Middle School, declined to comment for this story.
Woytek said Animas High School plans to secure an insurance policy that will cover the students while they ride Durango’s school buses. He expected the agreement with Durango schools to be finalized quickly.
The issue should be resolved by the end of the week, Woytek said, adding that the school district has been a “fantastic” partner in resolving the situation.
“We start on Monday. It has been a really quick turnaround,” he said.
smullane@durangoherald.com
