MEEKER | The Meeker School District Board of Education held its regular March meeting at the district office, with most members in attendance.
Board President Bill DeVergie, Secretary Hanna Borchard, and members Ann Franklin, Joe Nieslanik, Heather Sauls and Tony Theos were present. Vice President Tom Allen did not attend in person or online.
The board approved the agenda as presented and opened the meeting with student celebrations, recognizing Meeker High School band and choir students for their Solo and Ensemble ratings.
A major focus of the meeting was a proposed change to Career and Technical Education (CTE) graduation requirements, which has been the subject of ongoing discussion.
Superintendent Chris Selle explained the reasoning behind the draft policy. “The draft that’s in front of you is written from the perspective of making the change. We’ve talked back and forth; the school administration doesn’t really have a recommendation. We had some conversation about one credit versus one and a half credit. If you’re going to dictate certain credits in your policy, the idea is that you want exposure to certain types of courses. It makes sense to group your math courses together and your science courses together, and we’ve chosen to group CTE together as electives. Fine arts, PE and foreign language kind of fall outside of any natural grouping. If we’re requiring one credit in those three areas, and the idea is to have exposure to a lot of academic disciplines, then it probably makes sense to have CTE as one credit.”
“To me, that’s kind of objective,” Selle continued. “If what we’re after is exposure to a lot of subjects and we’re going to make a change to vote no on this, then it’s pretty clear what the board wants to do. It’s important to reiterate that this is not about the size of programs or eliminating opportunities for kids. It’s really about whether our policy should have the same requirements for these elective-type courses.”
Selle added, “We’ve debated it quite a bit. There’s a fear that potential participation in CTE courses could decline if you reduce the number of credits. There are some feelings that it won’t, but I wanted to make sure I was clear about the thinking behind this, which presumes there is a change. There’s no point in voting on something that doesn’t change anything.”
During public comment, Industrial Arts teacher Zach Clatterbaugh urged the board to keep the current requirements, citing research and local success.
“There has been a lot of discussion about what is perceived to be best for students, but very little hard data about CTE’s actual impact,” Clatterbaugh said.
He referenced national data showing a 94% graduation rate for CTE concentrators compared to an 81% national average and said CTE courses improve engagement by connecting academics to real-world applications.
Clatterbaugh also pointed to the district’s performance, noting Meeker has been accredited with distinction seven of the past eight years.
“Why are we going to fix something that isn’t broken?” he said.
Superintendent Chris Selle said the proposed change is intended to create consistency among subject areas and offer more flexibility, not to diminish CTE programs.
“This is not about the size of programs or eliminating opportunities,” Selle said. “It’s about how we structure requirements.”
Board members voiced support for CTE programs while weighing the proposed adjustment.
“I just want to make it clear that this isn’t a criticism of our CTE program,” Borchard said, noting strong participation in programs such as FFA.
Others emphasized student choice.
“This provides that flexibility to tailor it to an individual student,” Sauls said.
Still, some board members expressed confidence in the current system.
“I feel confident in what we’re doing now,” Theos said.
Following discussion, the board voted on the policy during its second reading. The motion failed on a 3-3 vote. The board is expected to take up the policy again for a third and final reading at its April 27 meeting.
In other business, the board approved staff for the upcoming school year. Selle noted the action guarantees employment but does not finalize specific positions, salaries or contracts.
The board also approved the superintendent’s evaluation summary, a state-required public report.
Selle reported the district’s capital reserve fund has increased by nearly $70,000 over the past three months due to interest earnings, bringing the total to approximately $123,000.
Board members reviewed facility use policies in a third reading, including updates to clarify when organizations must pay fees. The revisions include a proposed $100 threshold, requiring groups that charge participants more than that amount during a defined period to pay rental fees.
Near the end of the meeting, the board approved Selle’s contract for another year, including a rollover provision if no action is taken by March 2027.
Selle said the district interviewed a candidate for the school resource officer position who is also running for Rio Blanco County sheriff, though no hiring decision has been made. The district continues to explore the role and responsibilities of the position.
The meeting adjourned with the next work session scheduled for April 13 at 7 p.m. at the district office.
