Dolores school board hears hands-on learning, construction and retention updates

A district with 649 students and three schools is trying to keep families from drifting away, and Dolores RE-4A leaders are now pairing classroom engagement, construction work and new programming with a blunt retention push.

Superintendent Alesa Reed told the board the district is looking for ways to hold onto students as the Montezuma-Cortez School District prepares to launch a full-time online option in fall 2026 for grades 6-12. Reed said Dolores is considering additions such as mountain biking and fishing to make the district more attractive to families and students who might otherwise choose a remote path. In a small district with a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio, every student lost can ripple through staffing, course offerings and the district’s ability to keep programs intact.

That pressure framed a presentation from Dolores High School language arts teacher Jessica Kuntz, who described hands-on projects she uses to keep students engaged and away from cellphones. Her AP English students spent February and March at the Dolores Public Library, meeting twice a week with older community members, listening to their life stories and writing biographies. Kuntz said the work was meant to build research skills, literacy and participation while reducing reliance on cellphones and AI. One student told the board the library partnership felt more meaningful than doing research only online.

The board also got an update on the district’s rebuilding and flood-mitigation work, another piece of the effort to keep Dolores families invested in the school system. The district received an $850,000 Department of Homeland Security disaster-relief grant in April 2025 for flood mitigation, after a March 2025 presentation showed that 50% of the current campus and 90% of the upcoming project sit in a flood plain. District leaders have said the gym flooded a few years ago. Some welding students have even been helping with construction work on the new building, tying career-connected learning directly to the school project.

The long-running rebuild has been part of the board’s public debate for years. In 2023, district officials said the campus was unsafe and not in compliance with Colorado Department of Education standards while discussing the bond and BEST grant-backed plan. By March 2025, construction was expected to begin that summer, and by March 2026 the new Dolores High School building was still on track for late-2026 occupancy.

Alongside the retention discussion, the board approved the high school senior trip to Phoenix, which includes stops at an aquarium and a theme park, and signed off on several hires, including academic adviser Aurora Everett, assistant track coach Jordan Lanning, food service custodian Candice Fry and substitute teachers Brandi Twilley, Bethany Jorgenson and Leslie Hagel-Brozovich. The next board meeting is set for May 11 at 6 p.m., with the district still balancing student retention, building safety and the question of what will keep Dolores families choosing local schools.