Durango School District 9-R will apparently be leaving the San Juan Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES.
The Durango Herald reports that the Colorado Department of Education recently approved the district’s request to separate from BOCES, which provides special educational support for students in nine districts in Southwest Colorado, including Montezuma-Cortez, Dolores, and Dolores County. BOCES’ offerings include physical and speech therapy, the services of psychologists, and gifted and talented programs. The move is expected to save the Durango district some money and give it greater independence, but it will impact the other districts. Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 Superintendent Lori Haukeness says she is saddened by the decision.
“Obviously I feel like we’re stronger when all of the districts are part of the BOCES, so I’m disappointed that we’ll have one of the largest districts not participating in the collective services that we can provide for our students,” Haukeness says.
Haukeness says the other districts have some work ahead. “The other districts will need to come together as a BOCES and really realign and reassess staffing patterns and what do the services need to be for the students in our district,” she says.
- For more of Haukeness's reactions to this issue, click here.
