2009-2010 AHS School Calendar

School Calendar FYI - We’ve received a few phone calls regarding the school calendar that came out in this week’s Head of School update. We have posted a larger version of the calendar separately on the blog for you to open and print. We also will have it up on our homepage soon!

We’ve fielded questions about the timing of our project and spring break weeks. Yes, your student’s Spring Break lines up with local high school breaks! In year one, our spring break will be two weeks long. Please realize that AHS will be expanding its project week offerings over the next three years. In year one however, we anticipate a smaller collection of optional, projects and trips to be offered. These experiences will be scheduled somewhere within that two week recess but will not be finalized until students and staff weigh in with their interests and ideas.
So, in short, AHS students will have a longer spring break year one. We have set aside that time in the schedule to honor the fact that we’ll be designing our calendar like this in future school years regardless of what we offer year one. Spring Break will always piggyback Project Week. We are trying to offer the very best programming for our students and we are excited to see how we fill the project week time in years two and three. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these dates, please contact our Head of School Michael Ackerman at michael@animashighschool.com.

Head of School Update Number 5

HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE 6-20-09

SUNDAY EVENT!!!!!

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS SUNDAY'S OUTREACH EVENT-
(click on the poster for full view)

Two letters to the editor - Sunday, June 14th

Herald is fanning fires of school controversy

Evidence supporting the notion that the Herald is willfully fanning fires between Durango High School and Animas High School is mounting. The Herald published an AP article entitled, “Idaho charter, conventional schools compete,” (April 8). “It segregated the community,” said Holly Church, a teacher quoted in the article.

On May 22, the Herald wrote, in part, “ Projections from district officials call for a loss of more than 200 students when AHS opens.” The Herald ex¬plained this erroneous figure by claiming that research time was limited.

On May 24, the Herald “corrected” this with two sentences that read, in part, “9-R announced that 19 employees will not have jobs this fall. Most of the layoffs are at DHS, which is projected to lose more than 200 students in part because of the opening of AHS.”

On June 7, the Herald featured a picture of empty seats with the headline, “ Class half full. New charter school drains funding, students from DHS.”

Journalistic sensationalism prevents the public from being knowledgeable participants in important discussions. Distorted reporting can generate false hopes and unwarranted fears. Because democracies rely on an informed citizenry to debate and decide among choices, sensationalism threatens effective involvement. It is easier to report superficial controversies than conduct and report deeper analyses. The complexity of a matter sometimes is sacrificed for the expediency of a simple and gripping story.

Most people support choice, and therefore support more than one free, public high school in Durango – regardless of where they have or intend to send their children.
I challenge the Herald to raise its journalistic bar by devoting time to investigation and analysis. This community has not had the opportunity to read what Bill Gates or The George Lucas Educational Foundation has said about the curricular model used at AHS. Provide us with information to make educated choices, not hyperbole.


Peter S. Fazekas, Durango

Money should follow students, not schools

Those opposed to the Animas High School opening because they fear it will cost Durango High School jobs and money are missing the point entirely. DHS does not exist to provide jobs and spend money. It exists to educate our children. Competition with Animas High School about where students and parents want to attend gives parents a choice of what is best for their children. If a student leaves DHS because the school is not meeting his or her needs to attend AHS, then the tax money should follow them.

Those on the left claim to be “pro choice,” but where education is involved, they do not seem so. They demand that one size fit all.

Robert Marks, Bayfield

Take Action Now!!!

Hey everyone, today you have a great chance to show your support for Animas High School. On its website, The Durango Herald has posted a poll asking the community whether Animas High School is a positive addition to Durango. Please visit www.durangoherald.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to express your support for AHS!

Together We are Accomplishing Amazing Things!

Head of School Update 6/12/09

***Please click on each page to enlarge...***

Student Advisory Council Update

Porqué Animas High School?

Porqué Animas High School?

Cuando fué la ultima vez qué su estudiante regreso a su hogar exictado sobre algo qué el haya aprendido en su escuela? Tal vez sea tiempo de qué usted aprenda mas sobre lo qué esta pasando en Animas High School.

Animas High School tiene una cultura de excellencía:

• Una Escuela Interesante, innovadora offreciendo a estudiantes un programa donde ellos quieren apprender.
• Un Clima de Aprendimiento Riguroso, Aún apoyador donde los estudiantes y maestros trabajan juntos para asegurar qué cada estudiante alcance su potencial completo.
• Capacidades de Vida para el exito son parte de la Cultura y Currículo de esta escuela.

Animas High School tiene un enfoque de educacion basado en el siglo 21– interdisciplinario, basado en proyectos, guiado por investigación, conectado con la communidad. Los estudiantes se vuleven:

• Pensadores Críticos qué pueden resolver problemas complicados.
• Communicantes Competentes dominando el arte de la expression escrita y verbal.
• Technológicamente Intelligente
• Miembros Activos en las communidades loacales y globales.
Animas High School tiene aprendimiento personal.

• El Clima de una escuela pequena con instrución personal significa qué cada estudiante es concido y tiene mas intercambios con sus maestros. Los estudiantes reciben muchos commentaries sobre su trabajo.
• Planes Individuales para aprentimiento son desarrolados para cada estudiante.
• Un Nivel Alto de Responsabilidad incluie la garantia de maestro-consejeros qué cada estudiante se soportado en la escuela.

No es hora de descubrir porqué casí 90 estudiantes se han inscribirieto en Animas High School para su primer año de Secundaria?

Ven y aprende sobre la nueva Secundaria publica en Durango.
Llama a Michael al 970-403-4827 por mas información .
www.AnimasHighSchool.org

________________________________________________________________________________-
Charters less diverse throughout the state
Throughout Colorado, the student populations of charter schools are less racially and ethnically diverse, wealthier and include fewer disabled students than other public schools, according to a new report from the state Department of Education.

And Animas High School, the Durango charter school, faces a less diverse environment from which to recruit.

During the last census, 86.8 percent of La Plata County residents identified themselves as white, compared to a national average of 75.1 percent.

Throughout the state:

•37 percent of students enrolled in Colorado charter schools were racial or ethnic minorities in fall 2007, compared to 39 percent in all public schools.

Animas High School is making a concerted push to attract Latino students, said Michael Ackerman, head of school.

“That’s a huge deficiency in this community,” he said. “For whatever reason, we’re not reaching that group.”

•25 percent of charter school students were eligible for free and reduced lunch, a measure of poverty. That compared to 35 percent in all public schools.

•7 percent of charter school students were disabled, compared to 10 percent in all public schools.

•Charter school teachers were paid $11,293 less on average. The average school district teacher was paid $45,950, compared to $34,657 for teachers in charter schools.

“Charter schools have traditionally not been union in any way,” said Njal Schold, president of the Durango Education Association, the local teachers union. “I guess part of the appeal of it from an administrative standpoint is you don’t have to deal with the union at all.”

chuck@durangoherald.com

Recent Herald Article...

Recently, I worked with Durango Herald reporter Chuck Slothower to roll out an article on our new teaching staff. After providing Chuck with heaping piles of info on our incredible faculty, the article copied below ran on Sunday. Notice there's not one mention of our teachers.

Many emails have poured in over the week with parents, policy makers and invested community members wondering why AHS continues to be on the negative end of all this Herald press. Not to worry, the goal of the Durango Herald is to sell papers and feel good stories do not sell as well as conflict and half-truths. Dividing our community is a great way to cultivate drama for future stories...

To everyone who has contacted me and voiced their support for AHS and their outrage over this article, I say "thank you!" We have been well served by maintaining a positive approach to negative press and public attacks and this incident is no different. We are focused solely on opening the best high school possible and anything that distracts us from our goal (like this most recent article)is not worth a response. At least by me....I've included some recent letters to Chuck regarding the "Class Half Full" piece so as not to disappoint those looking for an AHS rebutle. Enjoy and remember, Together We Are Accomplishing Great Things!

Class half empty
Charter school drains funding, students from DHS
by Chuck Slothower
Herald Staff Writer Article Last Updated; Sunday, June 07, 2009

When Animas High School opens in the fall, parents, students and organizers will celebrate the successful founding of the independent charter school that they have worked for years to build.

Yet the school also stands to cost Durango School District 9-R more than $400,000 in its first year as Animas High School drains critical student enrollment and state funding from Southwest Colorado's largest school district.

The math of this migration is straightforward: When a student leaves 9-R for Animas High School, about $7,000 in taxpayer money follows. If, as expected, about 60 of the charter school's 100 students come from 9-R, that will result in more than $400,000 flowing from the school district to AHS during 2009-10.

Partly as a consequence, DHS laid off 16 teachers this spring and is expected to cut a school administration position within weeks. Staff positions also have been cut.

"It has some impact on 9-R, and that's evident in the way that we staffed for next year and some of the cuts we've been making at the high school level," said Superintendent Keith Owen.

Animas High School supporters acknowledge the school's impact, but they say it provides a much-needed alternative with its project-based curriculum, emphasis on technology and internships and a more personal environment. And while jobs may be disappearing at DHS, new ones are being created at AHS, where the charter school employs 10 and its board plans to hire two more.

The shift means DHS, long the town's only high school and one taxpayers have supported for more than 90 years, will have fewer students, fewer teachers and fewer staff members next year.

In some ways, the charter system is working exactly as its supporters had hoped.

"That's life," said Randy DeHoff, executive director of the Colorado Charter School Institute, which oversees AHS. "When you don't have a monopoly, you deal with the market."

DHS enrollment, budget to drop

Animas High School currently enrolls 83 students, and organizers expect enrollment to increase to about 100 by the time the school opens in August. The charter school at 3206 Main Ave. will serve only ninth-grade students in its initial year. It then will add a grade each year until it becomes a four-year, 400-student high school.

Of the 83 enrolled, 72 come from Durango. That includes 9-R students, home-schooled students and a few who are moving to Durango from elsewhere this summer. An additional seven students come from Bayfield, three from Ignacio and one from Mancos.

AHS was not able to provide an exact number of how many of its students will come from 9-R schools, specifically Miller and Escalante middle schools. But Michael Ackerman, head of the school, estimated it at 60. District 9-R's budget projects the system will lose 70 students to AHS.

"It's going to cost the district some dollars," said Laine Gibson, 9-R's chief financial officer.

When AHS opens its doors, enrollment at Durango High School is projected to drop from 1,512 last fall to 1,301 this year, the lowest in a decade.

Animas accounts for only a portion of that decline. Enrollment projections estimate DHS will lose 60 students to 9-R's own alternative program, Durango Big Picture High School, 69 to an adult education program and 72 to demographic trends. The incoming DHS freshman class would be smaller than the graduating senior class even without Animas High School.

Jim Judge, president of AHS' board, said although the new school is drawing from the same pool of students, it is not to blame for the high school's enrollment projections.

"If you removed Animas High from the scene, there would still be a drop in enrollment probably, and that would have to be addressed," he said.

Durango High School's budget is expected to fall from $8.3 million in the 2008-09 school year to $6.3 million next school year, according to preliminary figures. An additional $457,000 will fund the Big Picture school. Some other dollars are being shifted from DHS to the district's facilities budget.

Animas on its own

Animas High School is the first Durango charter school to operate independently of 9-R, whose enrollment makes it the largest school district in the region by a wide margin.

Durango's two previous charter schools, Community of Learners and Excel Charter School, were uneasy presences within 9-R. Both schools experienced low enrollment and high turnover, eventually causing them to fold.

With Durango's previous charter school failures in mind, AHS organizers went another route, obtaining the school's charter through the Charter School Institute. The state body acts as a school district for charter schools that aren't always welcomed by the public school system.

Owen said 9-R does not view Animas High School as an adversary.

"We wish them the best of luck," he said. "We're not trying to stand in their way."

Tension between AHS and DHS occasionally has surfaced. DHS Principal Diane Lashinsky sent a letter to parents last month saying the school was delaying creation of a master schedule for 2009-10 because AHS organizers would not tell the school which students were enrolled.

Judge responded with a public letter saying the school could not identify the students because of educational privacy law.

District officials and charter school supporters will have to learn to get along, DeHoff said.

"The better that relationship is, the better it'll be for everybody," he said. "That cooperation may take a couple of years to develop. Down the road, there may be something the district can learn."

Parents seek alternative

In some areas, charter schools are driven by parents fleeing low-performing schools. That's not the case in Durango. In its latest state-issued School Accountability Report, DHS was rated "high" on academic performance, although academic growth was deemed "low."

DHS students substantially outperform their peers statewide on annual reading, writing, math and science tests. By nearly every measure, Durango High School is an above-average school.

Yet some parents were eager to enroll their children in the charter school.

Joel Aguilar, a Durango construction contractor, decided to enroll his daughter, Trinity, 14, who attended Escalante Middle School last year.

"Their model of teaching, their method of project-based learning, more reflects how we end up doing our lives as adults," he said. "We don't do a lot of memorizing. We do a lot of critical thinking."

Aguilar said he did not necessarily see anything lacking at DHS. But, he added: "When there's a better option for some people, you've just got to take it."

Charter schools are popular statewide.

They educated 56,188 students in Colorado in 2007-08, the latest year for which figures are available. That was 6.9 percent of public-school enrollment in the state.

"I know how I was taught in school, and it wasn't effective for me," Aguilar said. "That's still the model in most schools."

9-R, Animas look aheadOfficials for 9-R and Animas High School are eager to pursue cooperation, perhaps realizing neither school system is going anywhere soon.

"Durango High, in the way it has addressed this issue, has treated us as a highly competitive entity," Judge said. "We would like to look at it more as a very cooperative entity. We're dedicated to cooperating with Durango High as much as possible in the future."

Judge acknowledged AHS will affect Durango High School.

"I think there will be an impact," he said. "What we're doing is spending the per-student money in a different way, but I think a much more effective way for some students."

School districts can learn from charter schools, said DeHoff.

"The response I would hope to see, rather than blaming Animas for costing the district teachers and athletic directors, (is) looking at the district and saying, 'What are we not offering?'" he said.

The school district is doing exactly that, Owen said. "We're trying to figure out how we can do what we do even better."

Animas High School expects to also enroll students from Bayfield, Ignacio and Mancos.

Don Magill, superintendent of Bayfield School District, said he welcomed AHS.

"A public school system cannot meet the needs of every kid," Magill said. "If Animas High can meet the needs of a few kids better than we can, more power to them."

Whatever happens, Owen said 9-R will adjust.

"Once Animas is up and going, I think these kinds of issues become less and less," he said. "It's just one of those growing pains of a new school system."

chuck@durangoherald.com


Contents copyright ©, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Extreme disapointment with today's coverage

To: Chuck Slothower
From: Chris Strouthopoulos

I'd like to express my extreme disappointment in the quality of news coverage in todays two articles "Class Half Empty" and "Charters Less Diverse". These articles not only represent biased news coverage, their sensational and misleading headlines are downright irresponsible and a disservice to this community.

Let me begin by saying I am not a parent, nor am I affiliated with Animas High. I am a Assistant Professor at San Juan College and am married to an 9-R elementary school teacher and those experiences show me that there is much more to this story than is being represented in these articles.

Charter schools like AHS will not "drain" 9-R. The fact is the money follows the students. If DHS has less students then they don't need as much funding. So, a more accurate and responsible reporting of this story would describe it as a "shift".

Futhermore, there are strong arguments that charter schools such as AHS will improve the quality of education throughout Durango. AHS will be able to serve students whose needs are unmet by a massive facility composing 1,300 students. Furthermore, shifting students away from DHS will reduce overcrowding and probably help the quality of education at that facility. Why are these, and many other potential benefits of AHS either ignored or buried at the end of your article?

In short, I am greatly disappointed by this coverage. I expect more from the Durango Herald. I thought the era of yellow journalism with misleading, sensensational headlines followed by stories only half told was over.


Mr. Strouthopoulos:
Sunday's coverage was just a small part of what we have written about Animas High School, dating back to 2007 before it even had a name. Those articles represent two of at least 29 pieces we have written or published about Animas. There is always more to the story. But what we published Sunday was part of the story, and we would have been remiss to ignore Animas' effects on the existing high school and district. The article did describe the changes as a "shift," and also a "drain." I suppose it's two ways of describing the same phenomenon.
In any case, thanks for reading. I always appreciate having sharp readers keep us on our toes.

Sincerely,

Chuck Slothower
Staff Writer
The Durango Herald
(970) 375-4515
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Colorado League of Charter Schools is excited to have published a report entitled “Shortchanged Charters: How Funding Disparities Hurt Colorado’s Charter Schools” about the state of charter school facilities in Colorado.

This excellent report can be viewed at

http://www.coloradoleague.org/docs/resource/CharterSchoolReport_final33108.pdf

Report Overview:

This past summer the League launched its Facilities 2010 Initiative to develop a long-term blueprint for charter school facilities in our state. In order to ensure that the policy recommendations of this effort were research-based and supported by reliable data, the League contracted with Hutton Architecture Studio to undertake the nation’s most comprehensive assessment of a state’s charter school facilities. The report is based on survey data collected during the 2007-08 school year.


Key findings include:•

•Charter schools are forced to spend operating funds on their facilities.

■ On average, charter schools in Colorado spend $480 per student from designated
per-pupil operating revenue on facilities costs. For a school of 400, that translates
into $192,000, enough for at least four additional teachers.

• Every year tens of thousands of Colorado students are denied a seat in a charter
school because of a lack of available space.

■ An estimated 41,000 students are on waiting lists to get into Colorado charter
schools. A majority (55 percent) of charters would like to serve additional students
but since most of these schools (79 percent) do not have sufficient space, thousands
of children each year do not have this opportunity.
2008

• Most charter schools have limited capacity to serve federally-subsidized meals for
students from lower-income families.

■ Only 28 percent of charter schools have kitchen facilities that qualify them to provide federally-subsidized free and reduced-price meals for students from lower-income families, putting many charter schools at a disadvantage when trying to meet the needs of these students.

• Charter school facilities are too small.

■ More than 71 percent of charter school students in Colorado spend their days in classrooms smaller than local standards for new public school classroom space. About
80 percent of charter school students are in facilities where the total square footage per pupil is smaller than national and local new school standards when adjusted for school size.

• Physical education and recreational options are limited for charter school students.

■ More than a third (39 percent) of charter schools do not have a gym to hold regular
physical education classes and a full third (33 percent) of charter schools do not have a functional athletic field.

• State grant funding for public school facilities has provided little benefit
for charters.

■ Only 5 out of 138 charter schools (4 percent) have received state funding for facilities through grant programs.

• Local bond elections are not a reliable source of funding for charter school facilities.

■ Only 19 percent of charter schools have received bond proceeds through their
authorizing school district.


I really enjoyed this report from the League and I hope you all have a chance to view the results. It is an exciting time for charter schools throughout the state and the nation. Together, we are accomplishing amazing things!

A Letter from Our Board President...

Animas High School is being created to address the diverse educational needs of our community’s young people. The school is developing a personalized, project-based learning environment where all students are well known and challenged to meet high expectations. Students and families who share a desire for academic rigor are encouraged to join us. We look forward to collaborative and cooperative relationships with school districts and educators in Southwest Colorado.

As our August opening approaches, we wish to correct some misimpressions. In a May 8th letter to parents, Principal Diane Lashinsky stated that Durango High School was unable to create a master schedule for next fall, implying that AHS was causing this delay by not releasing names of enrolled students. In fact, on April 14, AHS had already provided 9-R with its total number of 9th grade enrollees residing within 9-R boundaries. AHS cannot release specific names without violating the privacy of its students and is not responsible for Durango High’s delay in developing a master schedule.

Further, inaccuracies in recent Durango Herald articles have linked our new school to an anticipated enrollment drop of 200 DHS students and 9-R staff reductions. With a total enrollment of 100 students, including districts other than 9-R, AHS clearly could not cause such a drop. Rumors like these are unhealthy for everyone.

We anticipate a continued, cooperative relationship with 9-R and other districts. We seek partnerships with local organizations interested in furthering the education of all our youth, not only to prepare them for college, but hopefully to pave the way for them to return as college graduates to pursue careers here in our region. The purpose of Animas High is to build community, not to divide it.

ATTENTION AHS ATHLETES!!!!

Dear Animas High School athletes: if you are planning to participate in athletics at Durango High School next year, there are some important opportunities this summer. Below I have listed events for each sport. Keep in mind, none of these camps or open gyms are mandatory!

If you have any questions about the things I have listed, please email me at jake.lauer@animashighschool.com or call Durango High School
directly: call Deawne Maddox at 259-1630 ext. 2302.


Strength and Conditioning: This is a great opportunity for you to get strong and healthy for the beginning of your season. During each session, coaches will be overseeing athletes exercising in the gym.
This program began June 1. You can start today. This program is free.
There are two sessions this summer:

June 1-June 26 Monday through Thursday: 7:30-9 a.m.
July 6-July 31 Monday through Thursday: 9:30-11 a.m.

Football Camp: This camp is from Monday, June 8 through Wednesday, June 10th from 8:30-12 noon. You will need to pick up your equipment at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 7 at the Durango High School football field.
The camp will cost $75.

Wrestling Open Gym: Come work out with other wrestlers and wrestling coaches. June 4-July 23 every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-7 p.m.

Wrestling Camp: This is a wrestling skills camp. June 23-25 from 8-4 p.m. This camp will cost $225.

Girls Basketball Open Gym: June 4-July 23 every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-7 p.m.

Boys Basketball Open Gym: June 9-July 23 every Tuesday and Thursday from 5-6:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball Camp: June 23-24 from 9-2:30 p.m.. This camp costs $50.

Volleyball Open Gym: June 8-July 22 every Monday and Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Tennis Camp: This will be the last week of June. We will send out more specific information about this when it is available.

AHS Jam Fest this Saturday!!!!!

Announcing AHS Jam Fest 2009! Join us for fun, food and music. Come meet all the AHS teachers and hang out with new and old friends. Feel free to invite a few guests who want to learn more about AHS. Be sure to tell Cooper Stowers (cooper11@gobrainstorm.net) who is coming with you.
By the way, this is a Jam Fest, so be sure to bring your instruments and be ready to play. Otherwise you have to karaoke with Nathan!
We will have the burgers, dogs and some drinks. Grab something to share and bring it with you (look over on the right for the list under "Please choose something to bring"). If the weather is foul, check if the party is happening by visiting www.animashighschool.blogspot.com. If you have any questions, call Sue Lawton at 385-7225.

Host: Animas High School
Location: 9160 County Road 250
Durango, CO 81301 US
When: Saturday, June 6, 3:00PM

Looking forward to providing students with a Musical Outlet Next Year....

Gregor Wallace sings with the Miller Middle School jazz band May 5. Band members are, from left, Dante Ciotti, Clay Siekman, Ansel Schiavone and Ian Bowers. The school cut the program in order to meet new staffing guidelines set by Durango School District 9-R.

High school options benefit students

Article Last Updated; Monday, June 01, 2009

I think it is time to clear the air about Animas High School. We in Durango are fortunate to have two choices for public high school. Not all students learn the same way, so why shouldn't we provide opportunities for every child to select the type of education that fits best. We need to get behind our students regardless of which school they choose.
Unfortunately, I keep hearing AHS blamed for the changes being made at Durango High School, which at some point doesn't ring true. Yes, funding may be lost for DHS, but it isn't the school's funding, it is the students'. Isn't it every child's right to get the best education possible? If the student is better served at another school, isn't that what we want as a community, and shouldn't we support this educational choice and the funding that goes with it?

We also need to recognize that AHS is only responsible for a small share of the budget reductions at DHS. AHS is going to open with only 100 students, many of which come from other school districts or otherwise would be home-schooled. The greater share of DHS' budget reductions are because of cuts in federal and state programs, changes in how 9-R allocates funding to schools within the district, reduction of programs that affected only a handful of students and the opening of the Big Picture School.

This is not to say that these reductions don't hurt, particularly when it affects the lives of our teachers and administrators. But we need to move forward. With U.S. schools ranked 11th in the world, isn't it time to try new approaches to education? Let's embrace Animas High School for an educational concept that has worked so well for so many other communities and revel in having two great high schools.

Martie Woodford, Durango


Contents copyright ©, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.

School aims to build, not divide community

Animas High School has been created to address the diverse educational needs of our community’s young people. The school has developed a personalized, project-based learning environment from an extremely successful curricular model where students are well-known by teachers and challenged to meet high expectations. Stu-dents and families who share a desire for academic rigor are encouraged to join us. We look forward to collaborative and cooperative relationships with school districts and educators in Southwest Colorado. As our August opening approaches, we wish to correct some possible misimpressions.

In a May 8 letter to parents, Durango High School Principal Diane Lashinsky stated that DHS was unable to create a master schedule for next fall, implying that AHS was intentionally causing this delay by not releasing names of enrolled students. AHS is acutely aware that uncertainties of enrollment make planning difficult for both schools and has done everything allowable under privacy laws. In fact, on April 14, we provided 9-R the total number of ninth grade AHS enrollees residing within 9-R boundaries, but could not release specific names without violating the privacy of the enrolled students. Thus, we should not be held responsible for DHS’s delay in de-veloping a master schedule.

Further, media reports have linked our school to an anticipated enrollment drop of 200 DHS students and resulting staff cutbacks. With a total 2009-10 enrollment of 100 students, including students drawn from districts other than 9-R, AHS clearly could not cause such a drop.

Stories like these counter the collaborative, community-building goals embedded in the AHS model and shared by 9-R’s new strategic plan. We look forward to a continued, cooperative relationship with 9-R and other districts. We seek partnerships with local organizations interested in furthering the education of all our youth, not only to prepare them for college, but hopefully to pave the way for them to return as college graduates to pursue careers here in our region. The purpose of Animas High is to build community, not to divide it.

Jim Judge, president, Animas High School board, Durango