Dolores district considers online school to keep students enrolled

Thirteen elementary students have already left Dolores School District RE-4A for online learning, a drop Superintendent Alesa Reed described as a retention problem with budget consequences for the small Montezuma County district. Reed told board members the district is exploring a virtual option because some families want more flexibility, and one staff member said parents who pulled their children out would likely stay with Dolores if the district offered its own online program.

The discussion put a spotlight on how much enrollment matters in Dolores, where RE-4A served 680 students across four schools in the 2023-24 school year and is governed by five school board members. Reed said the district is trying to hold onto students with programs such as mountain biking and fishing, while also watching Montezuma-Cortez School District, which has already added a full-time online option.

Dolores has offered virtual learning before. The district posted a Learning Options for Dolores RE-4A Students notice in July 2020, showing online schooling has been part of the local conversation for years as families look for alternatives. The current debate suggests the issue is no longer whether virtual instruction belongs in the district, but whether a Dolores-run program could keep students from leaving altogether.

Board business has continued on a new monthly calendar. In 2024, the district said regular meetings would move to the second Monday of each month starting in August 2024, with meetings beginning at 6 p.m. After the April 2026 discussion, the next board meeting was set for Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m., giving directors another chance to decide whether a district-run online school can help stabilize enrollment before another school year begins.