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Mancos school board gets good news

Student attendance increases, adding $261,049 to budget

After years and years of being told to cut spending, the Mancos School Board of Education got a bit of good news at Monday night's school board meeting.

"For the first time in a long time, we have positive thing to talk about when it comes to the budget. Normally, its been doom and gloom," said Mancos School District Superintendent Brain Hanson.

After the Oct. 1 count of full-time students, Mancos schools showed about 31 more than expected in the budget.

"That means we get to have a conversation on how to spend $261,049," Hanson said. "That's great news."

Hanson then began reading a list of things the schools need.

Hanson said there were a few things needed immediately such as a boiler, at a cost of $7,311, and an additional fourth-grade teacher. Hanson also suggested the board support some of the educational trips students are going on, such as a trip to Chaco Canyon, and the garden club.

"This is the first year in many we have talked about money and what to do with it," Hanson said.

But one of the most lengthy discussions Monday was the discussion regarding safety at the schools. Hanson told the board that they could look at costs of a barrier at the entrances of the schools that would make visitors have to buzz in.

"It saddens me that is the world we are in, I have been part of this district for 17 years and the openness makes us unique. But in reality that is where we are at," he said.

Also on the security front, Hanson discussed purchasing a system that would allow communication with all the staff at once.

"Next month, we will come back to you with some numbers," Hanson said.

The next school board meeting is Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in Mancos High School Room 223.

School Board member Blake Mitchell said he didn't believe locking people out was the answer.

"It's not the outside that's a threat. It's the kids inside the school," he said. "It's the internal problem. Whether it be a school resource officer, and I hate to talk about metal detectors, but the kid brought a .40-caliber gun to school," Mitchell said, referring to a recent incident in Washington.

Beverly Humiston-Scott agreed, saying, I think we need to look at metal detectors."

She asked for the district staff to look into the cost of detectors and barriers at the front doors.

Others disagreed.

"I left a place where kids were walking through metal detectors, so I could raise my kids where they don't have to walk through them," said School Board President Monty Guiles. "Let's proceed cautiously with regards to fortifying our school that we have all grown to love."

Also Monday, the school board recognized the Mancos High School for earning second in state. The Little Jay Leaders were awarded "outstanding leadership" certificates, and Emily Pearson and Polly Sikora gave a presentation on the EARRS program, a grant-funded program that brings counseling treatment into the schools for students suffering from trauma.

At the end of the meeting, Margie Russell read a "Statement of Sufficiency" from the Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder Carol Tullis, stating that enough signatures had been gathered to proceed with the recall election of Humiston-Scott.