Read the recap of the Dec. 9 Board Regular Session

What was discussed and reviewed

Employee housing: The Housing Advisory Committee presented proposed rental rates for the Lightner Creek employee housing units, along with the weighted lottery process that will be used to assign units as they become available. The committee anticipates the first units will come online in Q2 (spring 2026).
Committee updates: Board members shared updates from their respective district and community committee meetings over the past month.
Financial audit: Independent auditing firm Wall, Smith, and Bateman presented the district’s annual financial audit, which passed at the highest level and was noted as the strongest audit in several years. The Board recognized Director of Finance Kira Horenn and her team for their work.
Negotiations: The Board held an in-depth discussion on negotiations and determined that Superintendent Dr. Karen Cheser will serve on the negotiations team in place of a board member for the current school year.

Approved the Board and Superintendent consent agendas, including the HR consent agenda and November meeting minutes.
Approved the resolution certifying mill levy rates.
Approved a pedestrian easement on U.S. Highway 550 in front of Durango High School.
Approved the proposed rental rates for Lightner Creek employee housing as presented by the Housing Advisory Committee.

Public participation: No one signed up to speak to the board.
Finance Advisory Committee: The board received a report from the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC), which included recommendations to examine district boundaries and enrollment trends. The FAC noted that approximately 87% of the district’s budget is allocated to salaries, leaving limited funding for overhead and operations, and emphasized the importance of not using fund balance for recurring expenses such as salaries due to uncertainty in future state and federal funding.

CASB State Conference: Dec. 11-13, Colorado Springs
Board Work Session: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 5:30 p.m., Riverview Elementary School (2900 Mesa Ave.)
Regular Board Meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 5:30 p.m., Impact Career Innovation Center (2410 Main Ave., on the Durango High School campus)