After a trio of board members were sworn in for new terms, the Archuleta School District Board of Education took several actions relating to the organization of the board at its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
The board held a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, to cancel the school board election and deem David Iverson, Butch Mackey and Tim Taylor elected by acclamation, with the three then taking their oaths of office on Nov. 11.
According to the September resolution on the matter, no more than three individuals had nomination petitions with sufficient signatures to qualify as candidates, and the deadline for filing an affidavit of intent to be a write-in candidate has passed.
Taylor will serve a four-year term representing District 1. Mackey will serve a four-year term representing District 5. Iverson will serve a two-year term representing District 4.
After the board members were sworn in, the board elected officers, with Bob Lynch remaining the board president, Taylor remaining the board vice president and treasurer, and Amanda Schick taking on the role of secretary.
Human Resource Director/Liaison to Board of Education Heather Schultz will remain the board’s assistant secretary, and Finance Director Eric Burt will remain the board’s assistant treasurer.
The board then divvied up committee assignments:
• Early Childhood Council of Archuleta County: Taylor.
• San Juan Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES: Schick, with Lynch serving as alternate beginning in January.
• District Accountability Committee: Iverson.
• Colorado Association of School Boards legislative delegate: Lynch, with Taylor serving as alternate.
• Athletic Advisory Committee: Mackey.
• Pagosa Springs Urban Renewal Authority: Lynch.
The board also entertained the idea of changing its regular meeting day due to the number of sporting events that take place on Tuesdays and the fact that some board members serve as coaches.
The board discussed that the first Wednesday of the month would likely have fewer conflicts and anticipates voting on changing the board policy relating to its meeting day at its next regular meeting on Dec. 9.
Other business
In other business at the meeting, the board:
• Discussed holding a board strategic planning retreat on April 16, 2026.
• Heard an update from Burt that the district’s draft audit shows zero findings and that, for the first time in years, the district will not need to request an extension to submit the audit from the state.
Superintendent Rick Holt noted Burt has been “tenacious” in the quest for having zero findings on the audit.
Burt also noted the district’s single audit has been affected by the government shutdown, but that he anticipates the board hearing the audit at its December meeting.
• Holt reported to the board that the district’s attendance has hovered around 90 percent the last few years, with the figure currently at 92.3 percent for the current school year.
• Holt also presented an update on the district’s new cellphone policy.
Holt reported there have been 153 cellphone incidents since the start of the school year involving 122 different students.
He highlighted that’s fewer than 1 percent of students in the district.
Holt also noted that, of the 153 incidents, 133 took place at Pagosa Springs High School involving 105 kids.
He indicated the district’s parents, “by and large,” have been “great partners” and the new policy removing phones from classrooms has had “overwhelmingly” positive impacts, with students less distracted.
• Heard a report from Schultz that the district has had lower teacher turnover rates than the state for the last three years.
• Briefly discussed potential new school locations in anticipation of the Nov. 17 Master Planning Advisory Committee meeting, where the committee will hear preliminary engineering data related to two sites being considered: on the campus of the high school and on Vista Boulevard.
Taylor noted that he and Mackey had visited the high school site earlier that day and encouraged his fellow board members to be creative and open to all options when looking at available space and configurations.
“Monday will be very interesting,” Lynch said.
That meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. in the middle school library.
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