MEEKER | The Meeker School District Board of Education held its regular November meeting last week with all members present. The board advanced several major items, including approving a resolution to use interest earned from bond redemption funds, continuing revisions to the proposed School Resource Officer (SRO) agreement, and addressing growing demand for district facilities.
Before beginning discussion, the board amended the agenda by adding action item 1D, revising the document for action item three, and adding a fourth action item to revise the 2025–26 district calendar. The change moves parent-teacher conferences up by one week to avoid overlapping with spring break. The agenda was approved with the additions.
The board then held a final discussion on the district’s bond redemption funds before taking a vote.
Superintendent Chris Selle reviewed the financial impacts, noting tax revenues typically arrive “based on historical trends, probably April, May timeframe. Maybe June.” He emphasized the significant savings from paying off the debt early. “We owe $500,000 in interest for the 2026 calendar year, but if you pay off early, you don’t have to pay that in its entirety. When we talked about this in the past, we were talking about our savings of $255,000. It’s going to be more than $255,000 in interest payments.”
Selle said the total benefit will be “somewhere between $250,000 and $500,000 total,” depending on valuation and payoff timing. Paying early, he added, sends a clear message to taxpayers: “What you allowed us to collect, we paid it off early and saved you.”
He also reviewed two options for mill levy certification, explaining a balance between transparency and efficiency. The district could collect only the amount needed for the elementary bond payoff, or collect the maximum mills and transfer remaining funds to the high school account. While allowed, Selle cautioned against over-collecting. “If you have too much money in that account, you’re not supposed to do that. I don’t know if that’s not you shouldn’t do it, or like legally back and forth.”
After discussion, the board approved the bond redemption strategy on a 6–1 vote. Mill levy certification will be finalized in December.
The board then resumed work on the draft intergovernmental agreement to bring a School Resource Officer (SRO) into the district.
Selle said he expects clearer financial projections in the coming weeks. “[We’ll] know closer a month and a half from now or so to our final budget. I’ll have a better recommendation for you,” he said. He and board member Heather Sauls noted that, depending on hiring timelines, an SRO could start in the spring semester.
Board secretary Hanna Borchard called for stronger definitions outlining when the SRO is acting as law enforcement rather than as a supportive presence on campus. “Where is that line between them just being with their police officer hat on, versus you know like [a] buddy? There’s some really real legal implications there,” she said.
Board President Bill DeVergie agreed. “It’s going to be hard for that person if they’re sitting there talking to somebody, hearing something helping them or whatever and all sudden it’s like, oh, now they’ve gone across that line,” he said.
Selle said the expectation is for the SRO to attend “most of our extracurricular athletic events, the home ones.” Borchard noted the position is structured as “40 hours a week or something but it’s like flex time.” Vice President Tom Allen suggested varying the schedule: “We may want to have the SRO schedule random rather than always the same.”
Later in the meeting, the board continued its review of facility-use policies as community demand for gyms and other buildings continues to rise.
Selle said the current policy does not clearly distinguish between volunteer groups and businesses using district spaces. “If you’re running a business and you’re using our facilities, you need to pay rent,” he said.
Board members discussed charging custodial overtime for events that require additional cleanup and possible restructuring of fee categories, while maintaining reasonable community access.
Near the end of the meeting, Selle reported the district’s annual audit remains on schedule. “We did hear from our auditor. He’s working on the final report and we’re making progress with the audit. Hopefully we’ll have that by the December board meeting,” he said. The auditor submits the final report to the Colorado Department of Education; the board does not formally approve it.
The meeting adjourned with the next session scheduled for Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at the district office.