KSJD Local Newscast - November 19, 2024

Montezuma-Cortez School District Superintendent Tom Burris is thrilled by recent news about Lewis-Arriola Elementary School, and says there’s a lot more to be happy about in the Re-1 district. On Nov. 14, U.S. News & World Report announced that Lewis-Arriola Elementary was ranked as one of the top elementary schools in Colorado. It was No. 259 out of more than a thousand such schools. U.S. News releases annual rankings of public schools nationwide that are based on how many students are proficient or above in mathematics and reading. At the small school northwest of Cortez, 45 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 55 percent scored at or above that level for reading. Burris told KSJD that is “phenomenal” but he also is pleased with the performance of other schools. He pointed out that Mesa Elementary in Cortez was on what is called the “accountability clock” for seven years but is now colored green, meaning accredited, on a chart of school performance frameworks for 2024. Burris called that “absolutely amazing.” The Re-1 district was in the top 20 percent of districts statewide regarding how much it improved over last year on the district performance framework. Burris said “it’s the teachers that make it happen” when they have the right tools.