MEEKER | The Meeker School Board of Education held its monthly regular meeting last week at the district office. Board President Bill de Vergie, Vice President Tom Allen, Secretary Hanna Borchard, and members Joe Nieslanik, Heather Sauls, and Tony Theos attended. Member Ann Franklin was excused due to travel but joined the meeting via Google Meet.
The board began by approving the agenda, which included the addition of Gracie Bradfield as a volunteer middle school track and field coach and Alexis Kauffman as a certified classified substitute.
Following the agenda approval, the district recognized teachers and staff for their hard work. Borchard expressed her appreciation for their dedication.
“I just want to second that publicly,” Borchard said. “That’s a rough week with daylight savings time change and then the late nights at the school in the middle of the spring.”
Superintendent Chris Selle provided an update on the advisory committee meeting held earlier that evening. The committee discussed the budget for the next school year and student code of conduct policies.
“That’s one of the things that they review on an annual basis,” Selle said. “No recommended changes—it was just conversation.”
The District Leadership Team (DLT) will not meet again until mid-April, while the Employee Council met on Feb. 26. Selle detailed a key topic from that meeting: staff health insurance.
“We felt like it’s wise to stay on path with insurance right now, even though there’s a slight increase,” Selle said. “We will continue to investigate those options. We continue to perform pretty well from a loss ratio standpoint for our health insurance. As our rates continue to go up, we’re going to continue to look at options.”
Due to ongoing administrative transitions, the district does not plan to change insurance providers at this time.
“Their recommendation was just to stay with what we’ve got for now,” Selle said.
The Employee Council also discussed the academic calendar, including the possibility of making the full week of Thanksgiving a vacation period and adjusting other days accordingly.
Selle also reported on financial matters, noting a potential state budget shortfall of $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion, which could impact school funding. He referenced a draft school finance bill that suggests maintaining four-year student funding averages but potentially transitioning to shorter periods.
“I don’t think the legislature had their student count numbers correct,” Selle said. “Until we can actually see the formula and the student count number and adjust it accordingly, we will probably continue to assume that we’re going to have flat funding.”
The board discussed purchasing a small vehicle and making technology updates within the current budget year or for the next year. The discussion on transportation focused on safety concerns related to private vehicle use for student transport. Fall is the busiest season for travel due to athletics, and the board noted a need to update aging vehicles.
Selle also presented policy updates, particularly those related to Title IX. Changes in federal guidelines have reverted Title IX rules to 2020 standards under the Trump administration, affecting procedures for handling discrimination and harassment complaints.
The board is reviewing employment commitments for the upcoming school year, ensuring job security while maintaining flexibility in staff assignments.
Principal hiring is in progress, with three candidates under consideration—two external and one internal. One candidate may participate in interviews virtually.
Middle school teacher vacancies have been identified, and viable candidates are available. The district did not attend job fairs this year, as they were deemed unnecessary. Classified hiring will take place closer to the start of the school year.
Near the end of the meeting, the board discussed salary schedules for teachers and staff, focusing on maintaining competitive pay while ensuring fiscal responsibility. Meeker’s starting salaries are among the lowest in northwest Colorado, raising concerns about teacher retention amid rising living costs.
Selle proposed a 3% salary increase to help keep up with inflation and maintain competitiveness.
“If we were to increase this $43,000 by 3%, which is step one on the salary schedule, the person on step 27 is going to get a 3% increase as well too, plus their step,” Selle said.
In recent years, teachers have received incremental raises, with some staff categories seeing higher increases to remain competitive with local job markets. With declining enrollment and financial uncertainties, the district is cautious about long-term commitments, but the 3% raise is considered sustainable.
The board aims to finalize salary schedules by April to ensure contracts are issued before summer, though they may wait for further state funding details.
With no executive session scheduled that night, the meeting was adjourned. The next work session is set for April 7, 2025, at 7 p.m.
By JARED HENDERSON |