The Durango School District 9-R is seeking to leave the San Juan Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES.
The organization is made up of nine school districts in Southwest Colorado, including Montezuma-Cortez, Dolores, Dolores County, and Mancos. It works to provide specialized educational services to all students, including special-education and gifted and talented programs. At Tuesday’s Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 board meeting, board president Jack Schueneyemer, who is also president of the BOCES board, said the effect on the district is not yet known. The Durango Herald reports that Durango District Superintendent Dan Snowberger voiced concern that his district may be shouldering more than its fair share of costs. The Durango district is the largest in BOCES, paying $1.9 million of the total $8.2 million budget. Montezuma-Cortez is second-largest. The Colorado Department of Education has to approve the separation.