School Board holds October meeting in La Sal while considering school closure

Members of the San Juan School Board held their October meeting in La Sal as the district weighs the possibility of closing La Sal Elementary School.

The board also approved projects at Montezuma Creek housing and updated a handful of policies related to coaches and kindergartners at the meeting held on October 13.

District staff shared data from the closure study evaluating La Sal Elementary School. A Google drive with dozens of links with district compiled information can be found here.

The study to consider the closure of La Sal Elementary School was approved by the school board at the September 8 meeting.

La Sal Elementary serves students in Kindergarten through Second Grade. Students third grade and up are bussed about 40 miles to Monticello schools.

Enrollment over the past ten years has ranged from five and 15 students, with enrollment the past three years of six, five and seven students.

As part of the legal process to close the school, the district has put out a notice to La Sal and Monticello Elementary parents who would be impacted by the change.

A formal public hearing will be held in La Sal on November 10. A vote will take place on December 15.

Business Administrator Jacob Swanson and Superintendent Dr. Christine Fitzgerald shared financial and demographic metrics, including historical per-pupil costs, average daily membership figures, transportation routes, and an estimated $500,000 in projected facility repairs.

Amongst the district shared data gathered including a district analysis of spending per pupil at each school in the district over the past six years, as well as an average over those six years. Spending per pupil was highest at Navajo Mountain High at $57,895 per pupil averaged over the past six years. La Sal Elementary was next at $50,260, and the next highest being Bluff Elementary at $29,951.

The lowest per pupil were Monticello Elementary at about $11,000, ARL Middle School at about $13,000 and San Juan High at about $14,000 per student averaged over the past six years.

The documents also include an in-house estimate for La Sal Elementary Capital projects with the district sharing estimates alongside 20-percent variances to give the board a general idea of the potential costs of capital needs at La Sal. 

District staff shared they could ask for bids to get firm prices if the board wanted to move forward on improvements. 

The district estimate put capital improvements at the school at $567,000. Among the items with the largest price tags included a $200,000 estimate to replace all existing asphalt, $120,000 for a roof replacement, $77,000 for HVAC rooftop unit including installation, and $41,000 to upgrade fire panel and detectors.

Nearly a dozen residents spoke in person during public comment with 10 more comments sent to the district voicing opposition to shutting down the school.

Among the concerns raised by La Sal residents included safety concerns related to busing young children.

"Sending a kindergartener absolutely not," stated resident Paula Garcia, highlighting the daunting nature of long daily commutes. 

Other speakers and submitted letters warned that 45-to-60-minute bus rides in severe winter weather expose young children to physical exhaustion, reduced family time, loss of sleep, and potential exposure to bullying or inappropriate language from older students. 

A special education educator also cautioned the board regarding the severe logistical and health risks long bus rides pose for medically fragile or disabled students.

La Sal residents also argued that the estimated $500,000 in facility repairs should not be used to justify closure. 

Residents pointed out that the annual operational costs of the school, roughly $380,000 represents a tiny fraction of the district's nearly $90 million in annual spending, about one-half a percent.

Residents also contended that years of deferred capital investments by the district created the backlog of repairs, with some asking for at least a year to pursue grants, alternative funding or the re-expansion of grade levels to attract more students.

Residents also pointed to the importance of the building to host vital civic functions including food bank distributions, youth programs and community traditions including the Halloween carnival.

School board members asked a handful of clarifying questions including how the “Necessarily Existent Small Schools state funding formulas apply to rural remote campuses like La Sal with district staff explaining that whether students attend La Sal or another school in the district that funding allocation would remain the same as the designation is based on how close they are to a larger community.

Additionally board members clarified that roof replacement would be a top maintenance priority if the building were to remain open.

Board members also emphasized the presentation by staff was informational with no decision being made, and a formal public hearing on the closure study to take place on November 10 with a potential vote in December.

Members of the board also voted to accept bids from Bear Construction for exterior renovations for staff housing in Montezuma Creek.

The board approved $245,000 for roof replacements and $286,000 for exterior painting across 30 residences and storage units to address weather damage and hard-water staining.

Members of the board also reviewed construction projects with renovations underway to improve safety of entrances at Monticello High and ARL Middle School. 

Classroom expansion framing, roofing and electrical wiring remain underway at ARL with Monticello High’s project nearing completion with administration offices, restrooms and concession stands largely finished.

Members of the board also received an academic update with the district seeing gains in RISE standardized testing across grades 3 through 8 including a five-percent increase in English Language Arts proficiency and a two-percent increase in mathematics.

Board members also reported on a recent advocacy trip to Washington DC meeting with congressional staffers regarding Federal Impact Aid. With 93-percent of San Juan County land federally managed or tax-exempt, Impact Aid remains vital for funding district functions with the district noting that the federal program has not been fully funded by Congress since 1976.

Members of the school board also approved Teacher and Student Success Act funding plans for the school year and granted a full school community council exemption for Navajo Mountain High School due to extreme geographic isolation and low enrollment.

Members of the board also approved policy updates including one updating how coach or activity advisors are classified as employees. Both teachers and community volunteer coaches can be released from those positions at the discretion of the district with no rights to a due process hearing. Licensed and administrative coaches or advisors serve as a temporary employee in those extra duty assignments, and non-licensed and non-administrative employees hired for coaching positions are temporary classified at-will employees.

Members of the board also approved a policy update related to definitions on what a toilet trained Kindergarten student is and is not. Students must be toilet trained to enroll in kindergarten.

The board also approved a policy updating language around educator licensing within the district.

Members of the board also directed staff to send out a community survey to evaluate three draft options for the 2027-2028 academic school year calendar.