[{"_1":2,"_95":-5,"_96":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6466044,"mediaKeyId","5826009-f68588899cce4bcfbe1743b75a83df1a","parentId",5826009,"title","Durango School Board accepts monitoring reports, highlights CMAS gains and remaining gaps","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",3963000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5826009-f68588899cce4bcfbe1743b75a83df1a&start=3963&end=3963","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5826009-f68588899cce4bcfbe1743b75a83df1a/thumbnail_3963000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6466044/Colorado/Durango-School-Board-accepts-monitoring-reports-highlights-CMAS-gains-and-remaining-gaps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6466044-d5d869de54993f681f8715f7af047509/orig.mp4?Expires=1770570730&Signature=oinrrBSr25hx6t-r3j-WiX4FI7PZWlLrrvXNXuWTqOxr-ibqbEWZbNBBlTxCE4HlgM~w3D0oD0SOD5v4rtWCUN36Z-COhG3~R~4lQMvNgNfEENPOKtdcBjVt8-a1uLpTGJ81q5Msb4zhDjuU54G7HcjwODY4l0f07dTZDvUT9aOLN1OQX1ZY9zi0ULJSPumb6sUySyy0stX~Smz-~kdc8Mlv1DS-4CO~IDPLPDsa5-V2ks3nQlz21RqASJliOj5ytU2NUBwZiZtyyvd1cJCRJIxq3M53MkeIrIVeXFYee1n137OrqbbsGQSeDdCMYSh2WzW7uXV6nuYKEvGYjicTPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Durango School District, CO","date","2025-09-24T17:12:55.483Z","article","The Durango School District Board of Education accepted a series of superintendent monitoring reports and discussed student assessment results presented by district staff at its Sept. 23 meeting.

The board voted to accept Results Policy monitoring reports RPO 1 through RPO 4 with findings of “reasonable progress” and accepted OE‑11 (facilities) as in compliance. The accepted reports cover district mission and academic, social‑emotional and Portrait‑of‑a‑Graduate measures. Board members noted celebrations and areas that still need work, including SAT‑11 benchmarks and some CTE pathway metrics.

Superintendent Dr. Karen Chesser told the board that Durango ranks highly on statewide academic measures. “Durango School District ranks eleventh among all Colorado districts with 3,000 students on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), and ninth statewide when we add PSAT and SAT scores,” Chesser said. She cautioned that CMAS is not a 100‑point scale and that changes to the assessment over the last decade make some comparisons misleading.

Chesser and staff highlighted several positive outcomes the board discussed:

- K‑3 reading: expansion of Orton‑Gillingham approaches and reported gains on DIBELS benchmarks in some schools;
- PSAT/SAT: district averages among the highest for rural districts; noted increases for Hispanic students and students with IEPs in some PSAT/SAT measures;
- career and technical education: industry certifications increased and the district is expanding CTE pathways.

Board members also recorded exceptions and areas for follow‑up in the reports. The board noted that the district had not yet met the SAT‑11 college‑readiness benchmark included in RPO 1 and that the pathway‑completer metric used in CTE reporting may not fully reflect student opportunity; the board asked staff to propose alternate measures for completion and access.

Juniper School results: Philip Merline, head of school at the charter Juniper School, presented CMAS results for that K‑8 charter. Merline described participation and subgroup challenges at the middle school level, noting some opt‑outs among middle school families and a higher share of students with IEPs; he said the school has sent staff to additional professional development and hired intervention staff to support growth.

Board discussion: Board members asked for follow‑up presentations that explain which policies or classroom practices are driving subgroup gains so successful approaches can be replicated across the district. Several board members suggested live site visits or student capstone observations so the board can see Portrait‑of‑a‑Graduate competencies in action.

Why this matters: The monitoring reports set district‑level targets the board uses to hold the superintendent accountable. Acceptance of the reports does not itself change classroom practice, but the board’s immediate requests for specific follow‑up and clarifying metrics will shape the superintendent’s next steps.

Ending: The board and district staff agreed to return with refined metrics for CTE pathway completion, a clearer accounting of SAT‑11 benchmarks and proposed edits to results indicators for future monitoring cycles.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Durango School District Board of Education Regular Meeting -- Sept. 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Boarders accepted multiple monitoring reports that show Durango School District ranking among Colorado districts on CMAS and PSAT/SAT measures while noting exceptions in some benchmarks and areas for improvement.","taxTitle","Durango School District No. 9-R, School Districts , Colorado","taxId",38609,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":42,"_43":78,"_45":78,"_46":79,"_48":80,"_50":81,"_52":82,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6466048,"Durango schools under contract to buy 35-unit Lightner Creek Apartments for staff housing",3172000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5826009-f68588899cce4bcfbe1743b75a83df1a&start=3172&end=3172","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5826009-f68588899cce4bcfbe1743b75a83df1a/thumbnail_3172000.jpg","/articles/6466048/Colorado/Durango-schools-under-contract-to-buy-35-unit-Lightner-Creek-Apartments-for-staff-housing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6466048-3c153ba9bf4d9a81fd4161cedd82734c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770570730&Signature=OXVvhP-OyrfBkTgdJH9GfryTF1iJrZGmC-B2qJIEniyh1fxDBfv4XpnI5OnWAnrvRCV7aELSUfAmXGMQXUSIYSBwmlgF5hbAXlgNCAut3QNUaaU1Uidyit50qfk58lItd1WO1aiQe4VOQIYsp3sDF5aoLV1mRHRz2TfqAqh3vmBdL3i1jNMkBpLEdEOsE9f3bdkhVnxZtD1TtBYkC5bSDJl1ra77J-l2g6SkFmC1uYKfopYfaCXLoxKo3kN19vDr2SHIMpfHKoYkleWgGZSsLa5JmxFU~omBxRGNXXQss75aAlNH1FKFom4f7cECSc5pbhbPIQSM1z8HTTQCBcpitQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Durango School District officials said the district is under contract to buy Lightner Creek Apartments, a 35‑unit multifamily complex in Durango, in a transaction the district expects to close in the coming months.

The purchase price is $10,000,000, about half of the $20,000,000 the district set aside from the 2024 bond for workforce housing. Chief Operating Officer Chris Coleman told the school board the property is inside city limits, less than four miles from downtown, and includes a mix of studios, one‑bedroom and two‑bedroom units the district believes will be useful to recruit and retain teachers and other staff.

The board was presented with the district’s three‑phase housing approach: A) buy existing units, B) partner with developers, and C) develop on district land. Coleman said the Lightner Creek purchase advances Plan A and allows the district to move quickly on housing needs while other options are evaluated.

“We set out with the passage of the 2024 bond, allocating funding to tackle workforce housing,” Coleman said. “This property presented itself and it makes a lot of sense from a timeline standpoint. It gives a strong value in buying a large number of units at once.”

Why this property: Coleman said the 35 units trade for roughly $290,000 per unit, a price point favorable in the current Durango market. He said the district conducted due diligence and believes the complex can be operated to “positively cash flow” even with rents subsidized well below market.

The district will inherit existing leases and has negotiated with the seller to allow residents the option to extend leases through May 31, 2026. Coleman said those lease extensions are being honored; units with longer leases will remain occupied until those agreements expire. He said the district expects move‑in availability for staff on or about June 1, 2026, and possibly earlier depending on lease turnovers.

“We gave every resident the opportunity to renew their lease,” Coleman said. “We will inherit those leases, and we will honor those leases.”

How it will operate: The district plans to create a housing advisory committee to recommend eligibility criteria, pricing tiers and a selection process. Coleman said preliminary models aim to charge staff rents significantly below Durango market rates; staff discussed a target range that could put a single teacher’s rent “somewhere in the neighborhood of $700 to $800 for a one‑bedroom,” with district leaders later saying they hoped to keep beginning‑teacher housing costs at or below about $1,200 per month.

“We want this to be sustainable and affordable,” Coleman said. “It’s not free housing — it needs to be managed to continue the program and allow future purchases.”

Board members pressed for details on prioritization and management. Rick Peterson and student board member Colin Kravis asked how the district will prioritize units if demand exceeds supply. Coleman said the district intends a weighted lottery and will work with the housing advisory committee to assign points for factors such as household income and hard‑to‑fill positions. He said the district will contract with a local property manager rather than manage the apartments in‑house.

“We can only spend bond funds to rent to teachers and staff of Durango School District,” Coleman said when asked about eligibility. “That is the clear baseline.”

Superintendent Karen Chesser said the purchase moves bond funds toward an immediate, tangible outcome while the district continues to pursue longer‑term options on district‑owned land and partnerships with local government and private developers.

“This will help us recruit special education teachers and other staff who struggle to find housing in Durango,” Chesser said. “It’s a concrete first step.”

Next steps and risks: The district anticipates an early Q4 2025 closing and said it is finalizing the contract. Coleman noted the units are independently condominiumized, a feature that offers flexibility to sell individual units later if needed. He listed remaining steps as finalizing closing, standing up the advisory committee, developing rental tiers and contracting a property manager.

Potential risks include tenant transition and ensuring rental rates are competitive enough to attract staff while preserving long‑term program sustainability. Coleman and other staff said those risks are being addressed through lease extensions, due diligence and modeling of multiple pricing scenarios.

Why it matters: Durango leaders framed the move as an immediate response to a local housing shortage that experts and district staff say is hindering teacher recruitment and retention. Board members emphasized the purchase is a first phase and not a full solution to the broader community housing shortage.

“This 35‑unit investment won’t solve the regional crisis,” Peterson said, “but it gives us a place to start and data to inform phase two and three.”

Ending note: School leaders said they plan to return to the board with advisory‑committee recommendations on qualifications, rental tiers and management agreements before units are offered to staff.

","Durango School District leaders told the board they are under contract to buy Lightner Creek Apartments for $10 million as an initial step in a $20 million bond-funded workforce-housing program aimed at recruiting and retaining staff.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":42,"_43":88,"_45":88,"_46":89,"_48":90,"_50":91,"_52":92,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":93,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":94,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6466039,"Residents press Durango school board on transparency, gender support plan and student data privacy",7488000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5826009-f68588899cce4bcfbe1743b75a83df1a&start=7488&end=7488","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5826009-f68588899cce4bcfbe1743b75a83df1a/thumbnail_7488000.jpg","/articles/6466039/Colorado/Residents-press-Durango-school-board-on-transparency-gender-support-plan-and-student-data-privacy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6466039-863510bf3d4dd5bf68163a18e8a654b6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770570730&Signature=iY6zTaJQdUcZiJEsJVv-9w1GO0wzYdbNb2xKVisi5BpTfG9F8fxxVcHRkNvPlztagH-WSUctuMro3DrJC1GGKZDypfnwft5TfqtPaE2zvS0I8ZfBPwY~khQCBeCgwz7SFQpPhBs9RlbttIBI0ACm9M9yK4lI1Gw4m83o7CBkOfcfg~~Y3GvXniQmOVeakOwlQfRn1AUwqc1ZC5~X-V0nBgvKd8zXZ~OzBdJwpgVlvzX-jUpFunA~1NLEPL0~vYPEIgJsTt3ZZ2dp5wUcvjdeGiCHbtx~GdXI5BrhWR5PrGCC6jLAccacVs94IIU9sN~UyPSHFPT3bfDGwPZXVVR4Kw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A varied slate of community members used the meeting’s public‑comment period to press the Durango School District for more transparency on gender support procedures, better dyslexia screening plans and limits on student data sharing.

Several speakers — including Amber Morris, Jason Mitchum and Danielle Kirkpatrick — expressed concern about the district’s gender support plan and described cases they said showed parents were excluded from decisions. Kirkpatrick referenced the case of a resident, Symphony Stein, and alleged the district’s practices allowed a minor to be “socially transitioned” without parental consent. Those speakers called on the board to dissolve the gender support plan and require mandatory parental notification for gender‑related decisions.

At least three speakers raised concerns about district transparency in other areas. Amber Morris and others said it was difficult for parents to access information and participate in decisions affecting their children. Sarah Fisher, a district employee who advocates for dyslexia screening, told the board she received a letter from a supervisor after she spoke two years earlier about dyslexia and asked why district communications had not explained opt‑out rights for STAR testing. She asked the board for a districtwide dyslexia screening plan and for staff training, including for assessments in students’ native languages for Native American students.

Data‑privacy concerns about the district’s new platform, Abre, were raised by parent Michael Buck. Buck said he was uncomfortable that Abre requires logins via Microsoft, Google or Facebook accounts and he asked whether parents can opt out of sharing student data with the vendor. He told the board he had asked the district for an opt‑out or data deletion pathway and requested confirmation of what data the vendor holds.

Superintendent response: Dr. Karen Chesser gave a long superintendent update after public comment. She acknowledged community concerns, disputed several claims and described steps the district has taken. Chesser said the district had produced requested documents in response to records requests (contradicting claims that materials were “leaked”) and explained the time and attorney review required to supply records with personally identifiable information redacted. She also characterized recent media coverage as misleading and said the district welcomes outside review of its hiring and civil‑rights practices.

On the gender support plan, Chesser and Executive Director Vanessa Giddings said the district uses a confidential, family‑driven support plan commonly used by other districts and that the plan is activated in response to family requests for support; they denied a practice of systematically excluding parents. Dr. Giddings told the board she is aware of five families who have used the plan confidentially in seven years and said district counseling staff work with the family and the student. Chesser said the confidential element is intended to protect student privacy rather than to exclude parents.

On Abre and data privacy, Chesser said the district’s technology director had reviewed vendor assurances and that the district is constrained by the product’s authentication options. She said the district will continue to engage with the vendor and parents about privacy concerns.

Requests and next steps: Several public speakers asked the board to adopt transparent policies requiring parental notice and consent for gender‑related supports and to publish clearer procedures for parental complaints and transparency. Board members and the superintendent said they would follow up: Chesser and staff said they would meet with concerned families, investigate specific allegations, and provide further written follow‑up. The board also added a superintendent update to the agenda at the start of the meeting that gave staff time to respond to many of the public comments.

Ending: The district’s superintendent urged community members who had specific concerns to meet with district staff so they could resolve individual cases outside the formal public‑comment process. She reiterated that the district is “open” to dialogue and invited parents to use district complaint processes and direct outreach to staff.

","Multiple public commenters criticized district transparency on gender support procedures, requested more dyslexia screening, and raised concerns about a new student data platform; the superintendent responded with clarifications and next steps.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Durango School Board accepts monitoring reports, highlights CMAS gains and remaining gaps

Durango schools under contract to buy 35-unit Lightner Creek Apartments for staff housing

Residents press Durango school board on transparency, gender support plan and student data privacy