I urge you to stand with students and teachers of Durango School District 9-R by voting YES On 4A on this fall’s ballot, which will provide overdue modernization to our schools’ electrical, mechanical, roofing, plumbing and safety systems. YES On 4A would raise $150 million to address these and other key educational improvements supported by voters via a third-party survey of 1,784 voters in spring 2024.
As a retired Durango 9-R teacher, I directly witnessed the impact poor facilities had on student learning. Uncomfortably hot or cold classrooms led to lost focus; broken urinals and toilets cause lines during passing periods, reducing student learning.
Teachers routinely use extension cords to connect technology, creating tripping and potential fire hazards. Heightened security protocols necessitate leaving classroom doors closed during class, cutting off air circulation. Despite these obstacles, Durango 9-R teachers and students are delivering some of the best education outcomes in the state. Isn’t it time our buildings reflect the value Durangoans place on education while unlocking students’ full potential?
The average age of Durango 9-R facilities is 43 years old. YES On 4A has a comprehensive, proactive plan for improving each school so that they may better serve students. For instance, many heating systems are operating beyond their life expectancy. An HVAC breakdown in midwinter would result in a disruption of learning that extends beyond the school where it occurs. By voting YES on 4A, we can proactively prevent these kinds of catastrophic situations.
Durango 9-R finds itself in this situation because of a tangled web of outdated Colorado school funding mechanisms many decades in the making. Since the early 1990s, The Colorado School Finance Act, Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and the Budget Stabilization factor have forced districts to defer scheduled maintenance until the problem can be fixed “later.” Yet Colorado school financing remains lost in a maze of conflicting laws that never address the question: “How can we fairly finance Colorado public education to meet the needs of students?” Too often, the solution has been duct tape, extension cords and “restroom closed” signs.
School districts statewide, including 9-R, have been forced to make tough budget decisions, deferring routine maintenance in order to prevent growing classroom sizes from further eroding quality instruction. Educators and maintenance personnel have been keeping their fingers crossed hoping facilities built generations ago hold up until the time they can be properly upgraded. Now is the time.
State law mandates the only solution is for a local district to pass a bond to pay for capital improvements, which is where YES On 4A comes in. While it is true there are additional educational needs beyond capital improvements, state law mandates only capital improvements can be addressed with a bond issue. No bond money is permitted to pay for hiring staff or increasing salaries and benefits, nor can the 2020 bond address these capital expenditures.
In addition to the aforementioned investment in deferred maintenance to all schools, YES On 4A also provides for the construction of a new elementary school in the rapidly developing Three Springs area. When complete, the current staff and students at Florida Mesa Elementary would then seamlessly transition to a brand-new school, while honoring Florida Mesa’s amazing educational legacy. Survey respondents also indicated they want to replace beat-up classroom equipment and furniture such as student chairs and desks, and to address employee housing to help retain a stable teaching staff.
Voting Yes On 4A would increase homeowners’ property tax $2.80 per month for every $100,000 in property value, a small price with huge benefits to students. Durango 9-R’s buildings need investment to help realize our students’ full potential.
Please vote Yes on 4A and visit 4afordurangoschools.org to learn more.
Dave Dillman is a retired Durango School District 9-R teacher and a member of Durango Citizens for Great Schools.
