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Board reviews Juniper School reauthorization materials, requests additional data; deadline set for March 1
Summary
Durango School District staff and Juniper School representatives presented i‑Ready and CMAS performance, demographic and financial information; the board requested a consolidated reauthorization assessment and set a March 1 deadline for the district recommendation.
Board members continued a multi‑meeting review of Juniper School’s charter reauthorization. Philip, representing Juniper, presented i‑Ready reading and math data, CMAS results, demographic breakdowns and a year‑to‑date financial report and budget. Philip noted the school enrolls about 100 students, and he warned that subgroup reporting thresholds mean some demographic cells are not reported when counts are low.
The data presentation covered ELA and math median growth by grade, gender and subgroup (economically disadvantaged, special education). Philip noted increases in several metrics compared with the prior year and said CMAS reporting requires at least 16 students in a subgroup to report scores. He also described increased diversity and special education identification over recent years and said the school invested in targeted marketing to recruit a more diverse student body.
Board members pressed for clearer financial documents, a single reconciled budget view, and detail on transportation and contracted services. Philip acknowledged the documents in the packet were high level and said he would provide a more detailed fiscal reconciliation. Board members also asked whether Juniper currently enrolls English‑language learners; Philip said a small number had tested out and none were presently identified but the school’s curriculum and materials include Spanish translations and bilingual resources.
District staff proposed adapting the Colorado Association of Charter Schools reauthorization process as a template and asked board members to individually complete assessment rubrics to be combined at a work session. Staff and board members discussed timelines and the statutory requirement referenced in staff materials—cited in the meeting as “HB 24 13 63”—that governs charter reauthorization procedures. The board agreed to complete a combined reauthorization assessment and to prepare a reauthorization resolution; staff set a March 1 schedule for the district recommendation to comply with statutory deadlines.
Board members asked staff to confirm receipt of required financial documents from Juniper and to provide a single, reconciled budget and clearer contract/transportation cost line items before the final reauthorization decision.
The board scheduled further work‑session time to finalize the reauthorization assessment and asked staff to circulate materials in advance so all members could review before a public decision.
