Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District

On Tuesday, the Montezuma-Cortez District Re-1 School Board is set to take up the issue of how to handle allegations made against its personnel.

A decision on a plea in a misdemeanor charge against Montezuma-Cortez School District Superintendent Tom Burris was postponed Tuesday despite the judge’s comments that the case had been “languishing for quite some time.” And the United States has filed a lawsuit against two men and other “unknown individuals” who they say illegally fenced Forest Service land in the Chicken Creek area near Mancos.

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.

A vacancy on the Montezuma-Cortez School District Board may continue indefinitely.

A question about a mill-levy override for the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school district is missing from the ballots mailed to a portion of voters in the school district.

The Montezuma-Cortez School District drew enthusiastic accolades last week from the director of accountability pathways for the Colorado Department of Education. And work on an overlook to the Cliff Palace site will obstruct a trail and thus prevent Mesa Verde National Park from holding a luminaria-lighting event this winter.

Although Montezuma-Cortez School District Superintendent Tom Burris did not report allegations he heard about an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and student, disciplinary action against him isn’t merited at this point.

Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper answered questions about protections for the Dolores River corridor and numerous other issues at a town hall in Cortez Tuesday night. And the Montezuma-Cortez District Re-1 school board on Wednesday issued a statement saying it is waiting for the result of legal proceedings against the district superintendent before “making any assumptions.”

Montezuma-Cortez School Superintendent Tom Burris faces a misdemeanor charge for allegedly failing to report possible child sexual abuse.

Unofficial election results are in for Montezuma County and the Four Corners region. In Cortez, Rhonda Tracy beat Jonathan “J.J.” Lewis in the race for District C on the Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 school board. The other three candidates, Rafe O’Brien, Leland Collins and Mike Lynch, are running unopposed for their seats on the board. In Mancos, candidates Craig Benally, Rachel McWhirter and Timothy Hunter all won seats on the Mancos RE-6 school board. On the Dolores RE-4A school board, Clay Tallmadge, Maegan Crowley, Dustin Goodall and Julia Wilson Anderson have all unofficially been elected. And a bond initiative on the ballot in Dolores that would fund renovations for the town’s secondary school campus looks like it will pass. Out of nearly 1,600 votes, the bond has received a yes from 57% of voters, while 42% voted no.