Parents and teachers say Durango School District’s proposed consolidation of Sunnyside Elementary School with Florida Mesa Elementary School would disrupt student stability, impact staff jobs and could push families to leave the district.
Four teachers and one parent ‒ all requesting anonymity for fear of retaliation ‒ voiced opposition to the proposed merger in interviews with The Durango Herald.
“A lot of people are upset: I’ll tell you that,” the parent said.
She is considering removing her child from the district if the consolidation happens, saying her children would not receive the same level of care and attention at Florida Mesa, where enrollment could grow from about 280 to nearly 400 students in the merger.
She said other families are also considering leaving the district if the consolidation is approved.
“I’ve heard multiple parents say that if it (Sunnyside) closes, they’ll go to the Juniper School or homeschool,” the parent said.
One teacher said Sunnyside students would be subjected to two transitions: one from Sunnyside to Florida Mesa in 2027-28, and another from Florida Mesa to the new Three Springs Elementary School when it opens in 2028-29.
All four teachers said the changes could negatively impact Sunnyside students, many of whom come from difficult socioeconomic backgrounds, and all of whom are used to the small, familylike environment of about 100 students at Sunnyside.
“These kids need stability,” one teacher said.
“People get more support at Sunnyside (than at other district schools),” another said. “It’s a smaller school, and it’s a family. It’s the Sunnyside second family.”
The parent echoed those concerns.
“We don’t like the idea of, ‘Let’s uproot all of our children, then uproot them again,’” she said. “Just leave us alone until the Three Springs (opening).”
Superintendent Karen Cheser said a shared year at Florida Mesa would give both schools the opportunity to co-create a shared culture, identity and traditions at the new Three Springs school ahead of its opening. The merger would also foster peer connections and a collaborative community, and make expanded programming possible, she said.
About a dozen Sunnyside staff and parents attended a Board of Education work session Tuesday at Miller Middle School.
Cheser said enrollment at Sunnyside Elementary has decreased by about 41% since the 2019-20 school year. Several grades – including kindergarten, fourth and fifth – are projected to have fewer than 10 students in 2027-28.
“If you have a class of four to seven (students), that really can’t replicate the social complexity that children need to be able to thrive,” Cheser said.
Per-pupil costs have risen in recent years at Sunnyside, Cheser said, with the projected cost at $25,773 per student for 2027-28 – several thousand dollars higher than some other elementary schools in the district.
The consolidation would save about $741,000, or roughly 1%, of the district’s overall budget, Cheser said.
Cheser said cost savings is not the only factor driving the proposed merger.
“Our primary, primary reason for any kind of conversation about anything like this is just to make sure that our students have optimal learning experiences, and sometimes we’ll have to do things differently,” she said.
The district has tried to avoid consolidation by combining grade levels and expanding Sunnyside’s boundaries to include more students, Cheser said, but those efforts have been unsuccessful.
The Budget Committee and Financial Advisory Committee both recommended consolidation, Cheser said.
Despite frustration, some teachers said they appreciate board members asking questions and listening to the community.
“All the questions they asked comforted me,” one teacher said.
Board members asked whether students would be better off academically at Florida Mesa, how transportation would be affected, what boundary adjustments might be made and what would happen to Sunnyside staff.
All four teachers said they are concerned about job security.
“None of us have secure jobs,” one teacher said.
Cheser said the district’s goal is to find positions for all Sunnyside staff.
“We want to take care of everyone and … want to make sure that we are able to find positions for everyone,” she said. “Now, we know that part of the savings is that we don’t need additional … positions, (but) we do feel like with the movement, we are going to have many positions for the teachers at Florida Mesa. Then our goal would be, for people where there might not be a spot at Florida Mesa, we want to work diligently over the next year to find positions for people.”
Sunnyside staff said they were directed to apply for open roles at Florida Mesa, and three applied – but none were selected, according to some of the teachers.
“It’s a big decision, and we want to hear from all the stakeholders, and my heart is with the parents and the students out there, because I know that this is a big decision that could impact the way that they (navigate) their daily life,” Board President Kristin Smith told The Durango Herald.
Board member Andrea Parmenter said it is important to hear from the community directly, and that the board intends to make that process “as easy as possible.”
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