Included in this article is a comprehensive, easy to read PDF that breaks down the details of how schools and the district are funded, how the money is allocated to schools, and impacts of legislation and mandates. This year's guide has a focus on capital needs to try to bring to light the deficit due to the negative factor and the current needs across the district.

Dear families, Thank you for your patience and perseverance as we’ve migrated to the world of online learning. Today you should receive an email from itslearning that will contain your username and password.

Dear 9-R Community, We have officially made it through the first quarter of the school year, and have thankfully had minimal COVID-19 impacts on students and staff. We thank all the staff, students and parents who have made this possible through their diligence and support of the issued guidelines. The cohort model is allowing continuation of school when a small population is impacted. And also we are appreciative that we have only had one positive case in the district, which was at the very beginning of the school year.

The district has identified an additional two days where schools will be closed to allow teacher's additional work days to continue to plan and adjust to instruction under the guidelines of COVID-19. The two days are October 30 and November 2; these are in addition to the already identified teacher work day/school closure of November 30. Enrichment opportunities will be available to families of students in grades k-6 at no cost to the families allowing them to be supervised during regular school hours. Children with significant needs will also have an opportunity to be served at the middle and high school grades. Parents of such students will be contacted in the coming week.

Monday, October 12, 2020, is recognized by many as Indigenous Peoples' Day. This recognition signifies honor and respect for the Indigenous Peoples of this land we call the United States of America. As we honor the Native American students and families that are part of our Durango 9-R community, we wanted to share with you the words of Michael Watchman, Chairman of the district's Native American Parental Advisory Committee (NAPAC):

On August 25, 2020, the Durango Board of Education passed a vote to move forward with the bond campaign, which has the potential to bring in over $90M, with no tax increase, for capital projects to the school district. Monies from a bond must be used for capital projects, which may include deferred maintenance, new HVAC systems, upgraded technology and safety measures etc

Durango Schools has a partnership agreement with Cedar Diagnostics for students and staff to receive expedited COVID testing. Cedar Diagnostics has updated their scheduling system specifically to support Durango School District 9-R.

We know many families are thinking about the upcoming holidays and how COVID-19 will impact our favorite fall traditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have put together some general guidelines to keep in mind when making plans, as well as ranking various activities from low risk, to moderate risk to high risk.