Meeting the high expectations we set for our students, ourselves tops list of goals for 2007-08

The new mission statement adopted by the Board of Education sets a challenging goal for district schools: We now expect all students to "realize their personal potential" as a result of what they learn during their 13 years in Durango School District 9-R.To meet that goal, we must continually set high expectations for our students and ourselves as teachers, staff, and administrators, so that our students will continuously challenge themselves to reach for more.

This year's goals include the following areas:

Strengthening our core instructional program. Initiatives include use of the Professional Learning Communities model of school improvement; use of the Response to Intervention model for addressing individual student learning needs; development of a new K-12 social sciences curriculum; development of a new life skills curriculum that meets the school board's new academic goals; implementation of a revised secondary science program and development of a new elementary science curriculum

Strengthening our alternative programs. Initiatives include a review by district parents, teachers, administrators, and staff of our gifted program to identify gaps in services and set priorities for improvement.

Improving professional development to enhance professional performance of staff district-wide. Initiatives include customer service and cultural competency training to foster a climate of safety, acceptance, and belongingness in every classroom throughout every school.

Increasing family and community connections in the district. Initiatives include the new Kid’s Kamp Program with enrichment activities provided by community volunteers and organizations and the new Partners in Education Program that encourages and supports family and community involvement in student learning. We also have launched the new Student Health Center at Durango High School with services provided by local medical and mental health professionals.

Identifying additional resources to accomplish our goals. Initiatives include an investigation into alternative revenue sources. Our teacher salaries continue to lag behind our peer school districts. The lower salaries, combined with the high cost of resort living in Durango, increasingly impact our ability to recruit and retain quality staff. In addition, the demand to improve student performance will require additional resources if we don’t want to affect our non-core programs.

Preparing for new superintendent leadership. The Board of Education has begun the process to search for a new superintendent. An appointment is expected to be made in February with the new leader to begin in July 2008. The next superintendent will succeed Mary Barter, who has served the district for nine years.