Board Meetings

Everyone is welcome 

We encourage you to attend board meetings and get involved in the success of our schools and students. Durango School District 9-R Board of Education meetings are generally held twice a month starting at 5:30 p.m. and are always open to the public. The first meeting of the month is a Work Session. The second meeting of the month is a Regular Meeting, where actions are taken. There is an opportunity for public comment at the Regular Meetings. All meetings are subject to change and are quorum-dependent. 

Regular Meeting livestream 

Regular Meetings of the Board of Education will be livestreamed on the district's Facebook channel. The livestream will begin at 5:30 p.m. If you do not have a Facebook profile, you will need to set one up in order to navigate to the district's Facebook page. Viewers will not be able to comment on the livestream, but they may add “like” comments and emojis. Within 48 hours after the meeting, the recording will be uploaded to the district's YouTube page. Only the past three Regular Meetings (90 days) will be saved on the YouTube channel, per our board policy. Note that Board of Education Work Sessions are not livestreamed.

Guidelines for public comment 

For the purposes of this policy, the President refers to the President of the Board. Members of the public can also submit comments to [email protected] for distribution to all board members at any time. Public comment will be held shortly after the meeting is called to order at each regular business meeting, usually the fourth Tuesday of the month. 

• A total of 30 minutes is allocated for the public participation portion of each Regular Meeting.
• All participants must be present in person at a Regular Meeting to provide a public comment. Meeting times and locations are listed below on this page.
• Registration for public comment will open a half hour prior to the start of the monthly board meeting. Sign-up is limited to 10 speakers and registration is first-come, first-served. 
• The President of the Board (or meeting presider) will read the public comment guidelines and call on speakers in order of their registration.
• Comments are limited to three minutes per speaker. Time will be monitored by staff using a timer. When that time expires, the speaker is permitted to complete a sentence but should make no further remarks.
• Public participation will be at the beginning of the meeting unless otherwise noted in the agenda.
• The President (or meeting presider) may extend the agenda item. While offering a public forum is important to the board, it is also necessary to ensure that the board allows enough time to conduct its regular business.
• At the discretion of the President  (or meeting presider), public comment time may be limited or closed and reopened at a later time or date to be announced.
• For operational issues, utilize the district complaint handling process, policy KE, prior to addressing the board. It can be found on BoardDocs under district policies.
• Public comment submissions may not be related to personnel matters. 
• The Board will not tolerate slander, name calling, or public defamation of any individual. 
• Public comments to the Board are public records. If you have information that you wish to keep private (names, address, phone numbers, etc.) please exclude them from your comments.
• All board meetings are recorded. Those recordings are available on the school district website in accordance with open meetings laws.
• Members of the public are reminded that possession of drugs or controlled substances and deadly weapons, as defined by state law, are prohibited on school grounds and in its buildings.
• All speakers, and those in attendance, shall conduct themselves in a non-disruptive manner. Cheering, snapping, clapping and other distractions are not allowed during or upon completion of any public comment.
• Public comment will not be taken at special meetings or work sessions. Board members do not respond to public comments during this segment of the board meeting. The Board President will follow up on Board matters either by responding to the speaker at a later time or by bringing up the issue addressed in new business. The Superintendent will respond on operational matters at a later time. 
• The Board will listen with respect and ask those who address the board and the audience to do the same.
• The matter may be referred to the superintendent for further study or action, or it may be deferred to a future board meeting for response, discussion or action.
• In the case of a virtual meeting, any needed changes to the public comment process will be posted no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting. 
• For additional information, email [email protected].

Do's and Don'ts for giving public comment 

• Do: Complete the public comment form. All required sections must be completed in order to address the board. 
• Do: Utilize the district complaint handling process prior to addressing the board for operational issues
• Do: Introduce yourself and where you are from. If you are speaking on behalf of an organization, identify the organization and your association.
• Do: If speaking to a specific agenda item, limit your remarks to the subject of the agenda item and avoid repeating what others have said.
• Do: Be brief, to the point, and concise.
• Do: Offer solutions for resolving the issue.
• Do: As a policy-making body we ask you to reference policy when possible. Policies can be found here. http://www.boarddocs.com/co/dsd/Board.nsf/Public
• Do Not: Expect the Board to answer questions you may have at the meeting.
• Do Not: Attempt to argue or debate with the board.
• Do Not: Discuss personnel matters with the board.