By Emery Cowan Herald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:24pm
Board members from Durango’s two charter schools and Durango School District 9-R came away from a meeting Tuesday night with a plan to form work groups to hash out exactly how they can collaborate in the future.
The board members of Animas High School, Mountain Middle School and Durango School District 9-R gathered for the three-hour meeting. In the end, they agreed to each send delegates to work groups that will address community outreach, communication protocol and conflict resolution between the boards, enrollment and registration issues among the schools and collaboration on grants.
The meeting was the first between the boards, and many called it a historic moment. As opposed to Durango’s two former charter schools, both Animas High School and Mountain Middle School, which will begin next fall, are chartered by the Colorado Charter School Institute. Because the institute acts like an independent school district, collaboration among the schools is not necessary or required.
However, every member at the meeting, which included 9-R Superintendent Keith Owen and Animas Head of School Michael Ackerman, expressed a desire to establish long-term collaboration between the boards and their schools.
Board members said they saw working together as a way to improve students’ learning experience, create high-quality schools that attract residents to the area and use resources more efficiently in an era of tight budgets.
Many also mentioned the opportunity to become a model for district-charter collaboration.
“Durango is an incredibly progressive place, and we have a chance to set a precedent to open new ground on what collaboration among entities in the public-education system looks like,” Ackerman said.
After discussions about registration weren’t making progress, the boards instead agreed to turn their focus to the broader issues of school relations and guiding principles.
All agreed to recognize each other as valid educational offerings for students and to maintain a zero-tolerance policy on criticism of the other schools.
Specific conflicts with student population counts, registration deadlines, lines of communication and problem-solving policies were left for the work groups.
Board members said they were satisfied with the meeting’s progress.
“I don’t think we’ve run 50 miles, but we’ve started,” said 9-R board member Floyd Patterson.
Many said they gained a greater understanding of each other’s perspective.
“I came in here assuming everyone had Durango’s children at the top of their lists,” said Animas High School board member Denise Dickinson. “Now I know that’s true. It’s been confirmed to me.”
ecowan@durangoherald.com
