Rick Petersen for Durango 9-R

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It is such a wonderful feeling to know that my community supports the work I do for our students and families on the school board. None of us could have done it without you!

Please, if you have yard signs, do not throw the metal stands away. We have some wonderful folks in our community who collect those and keep them to help offset costs for future campaigns. If you have signs and stands that you'd like picked up, please message.

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This is a great piece Andrea! Important to have Board members who know the truth, not just the uninformed rumors! If anyone in the community has any sort of questions or concerns, go to the source! Email the board through the DSD website. We always want to hear from opur community!

Another MISCONCEPTION Monday.

Here we are again...

There’s a claim circulating that Durango schools lost 700+ students last year - with the implication that families are leaving our schools because something is wrong within Durango School District (DSD).

THIS IS NOT ACCURATE. The statements suggesting a mass exodus of hundreds of families to alternative education paths such as homeschooling are a total misrepresentation of the facts.

- Here’s the truth about our student numbers:

ENROLLMENT FACTORS: In 2016, Durango School District became an authorizer for Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango (CCA), a statewide online school serving students across Colorado - mostly on the Front Range. Last year, DSD ended that agreement, which means those students are no longer reflected (and hence the sizable drop) in official enrollment numbers. These ARE NOT families withdrawing from our local schools.

FUNDING: During the COVID peak, enrollment in CCA climbed to more than 2,000 students. DSD simply administered the funding as a pass-through; these were never students in our classrooms using funding or resources allocated to local kids.

OVERSIGHT & ACCOUNTABILITY: CCA operated independently, with no real oversight or accountability from DSD - yet its student performance data was still included in our District averages. With a graduation rate near 30%, far below Durango High School’s 95%, CCA's outcomes reflected poorly and inaccurately on our overall performance.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS: Demographers statewide have long projected modest enrollment declines for districts like ours, which the community is currently experiencing. These declines are driven by lower birth rates, high housing costs, immigration, and fewer young families moving into the region. These trends began well before the pandemic and are being seen across Colorado, not just in Durango.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Families didn’t “leave” our schools en masse. Rather, DSD responsibly ended a statewide online contract that never served local students. Our Board of Education continues to plan thoughtfully for gradual, predicted demographic enrollment shifts while staying focused on students and schools here in Durango.

I’m running for reelection along with Erika for Durango 9-R and Rick Petersen for Durango 9-R. Addressing the real changes in enrollment facing Durango Schools is one of the many serious issues we’re focused on as Board members working together in Leading 9-R Forward.

Erika for Durango 9-R, Andrea for Durango 9-R, and I are thrilled to see our signs popping up all over town and the county!
We have heard of a few instances of codes enforcement removing signs in the right of way. PLEASE be sure your sign is on your property! We want everyone to see them through election day! 😍

Show us your support!

THE RACE IS ON! If you requested signs please check as they have likely been delivered and left at an entrance to your home. If you still want some for a visible location reach out to me, Erika for Durango 9-R or Rick Petersen for Durango 9-R - supplies are low!

PLEASE be sure signs are on your property and not in the city or county right of way where they will be removed.

As always, thank you for your support of our work in Durango School District.