MEEKER | The Meeker School Board held its monthly work session for the month of January last Monday, Jan. 13 at the Meeker School District office. Six of the seven board members attended, with Vice President Tom Allen excused from the meeting.
The session began with a conversation with independent auditor Joe Hood, who is based in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Joining via Google Meet, Hood explained his audit process and fielded questions from the board. Superintendent Chris Selle noted that Hood last spoke with the board in person seven years ago, prompting the meeting to familiarize new members with his work.
“You guys as the board engage me every year to do an independent auditor’s report, basically coming in, looking at your financial report, and issuing a two-page opinion that tells the public that, yes, the Meeker School District is doing everything correctly,” Hood said.
“With this, the general public can rely on their finances. We’re basically the verification. Once we get that report done, we send it to the state auditor for review, and they’ll provide comments if needed. Overall, we had another successful audit,” he added.
Board member Anthony Theos asked Hood if he believed the district was heading in the right direction.
“I feel like you guys are in the right direction. You have an excellent superintendent who understands financials, and you have staff like Meredith and Jessica who do a good job with HR. I don’t see any glaring holes,” Hood responded.
The board next discussed the attendance issues at Meeker High School on Monday. Superintendent Selle reported that 84 of the school’s 222 students were absent that day, with 62 marked as ill.
“If you go with 62, that’s 28% of the high school’s student population. It’s a mix of illnesses—some influenza, some norovirus-type symptoms, and likely some COVID. There are also probably kids that are staying home because they know that their friends aren’t there,” Selle said.
Selle noted the absences were concerning, sharing data from a prior infectious disease plan. The number of ill students approached the threshold for considering school closures. However, he emphasized that the issue appeared isolated to the high school.
“At the middle school, 13 of 21 absent students were ill—about 8% of the student population. At the elementary school, 33 of 294 students were out, with only 18 due to illness, about 6.1%. So, it’s not a district-wide issue,” Selle said.
The board discussed potential actions if numbers worsened, including closing the high school for a day to allow for cleaning. Board President Bill de Vergie asked if closing only the high school would be feasible. Selle suggested closing all schools if any were shut down, given the district’s interconnected K-12 system.
Superintendent Selle informed the board that his contract expires this year. Unless the board notifies him by March 1 of their intent not to renew, the contract will automatically extend for another year. Selle recommended limiting superintendent contracts to two years, aligning with board election cycles.
“You probably want the contract to expire in even-numbered years because board elections happen in odd-numbered years. That way, if a new board feels the superintendent isn’t a good fit, they can part ways at the end of the school year,” Selle said.
The meeting adjourned following this discussion. The next school board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Meeker School District office.
