Oh that another community leader, Durango School District 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger, had the same confidence in his people. No such luck, many heads have rolled. In what amounts to a slap in the face to 9-R staff members and the community, he has replaced many dedicated employees with years of service (especially and conveniently those in the higher salaried positions) with cronies and yes-men straight from the Front Range.

To Snowberger, the people of Durango, country rubes in his eyes, are incapable of running their own school district. Why else has the district office been stacked with people fresh from the Harrison school district? But when all the admin positions are filled by carpetbaggers from Colorado Springs, that is not a meritocracy but instead blatant cronyism.

I look forward to the day when the school board either wakes up or is replaced, and finds a leader along the lines of Sean Smith, a person who seems to respect the people and values of Southwest Colorado. With a wise local leader, The Front Range-ization of 9-R need not be a forgone conclusion.

Joe Green

Durango