{"id":33893,"date":"2023-05-20T00:55:54","date_gmt":"2023-05-20T06:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-school-board-faces-criticism-about-leadership-low-pay-and-low-performance\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:14:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:14:40","slug":"cortez-school-board-faces-criticism-about-leadership-low-pay-and-low-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-school-board-faces-criticism-about-leadership-low-pay-and-low-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez school board faces criticism about leadership, low pay and low performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Local
Local mental health co-responder and psychotherapist JJ Lewis addressed the Montezuma-Cortez Board of Education on May 16. (Screen capture)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Citizens expressed frustration with the Montezuma-Cortez Board of Education and administrators on Tuesday, lamenting low test scores, citing low pay for coaches and calling for the resignation of Superintendent Tom Burris.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Department of Education also recommended pathways for five district schools on the state\u2019s accountability clock for low performance, including placing Mesa Elementary under management outside District RE-1 administration.<\/p>\n

Burris did not attend the meeting because of a family obligation. However, notes read in lieu of the superintendent\u2019s monthly report stated that teachers and staff have received a raise, and that class size would be topped at 26 students, four fewer initially planned because of budget and staffing limitations.<\/p>\n

The $4,000 raise will be applied across the board for staff after months-long discussions about teacher raises in the district.<\/p>\n

The raise amount came with a caveat from the superintendent, however. \u201cTo sustain the raises we need to look at the class sizes and staffing,\u201d Burris said in an email.<\/p>\n

Board of Education President Sherri Noyes attended the meeting remotely on Zoom.<\/p>\n

District lawyer Brad Miller attended the executive session at the beginning of the meeting to give the Board legal advice on matters regarding special education services and for negotiations and advice to BOCES memo of understanding, as well as contract performance. He encouraged residents in the audience to be \u201crespectful\u201d while addressing the board.<\/p>\n

The board meeting started on a positive note as the board was told about a district staff member who helped a choking Lewis staff member by giving her the Heimlich maneuver. Board members said they were grateful for staff willing and able to help others in need.<\/p>\n\n

State officials look to outside management for Mesa<\/strong><\/div>\n

Earlier in the school year, representatives from the CDE spoke to the board about the five schools in the district that are on the state\u2019s accountability clock for low performance and test scores. They are Battle Rock Charter, Kemper Elementary, Mesa Elementary, CMS, Children\u2019s Kiva Montessori Charter School and Southwest Open School.<\/p>\n

Because Mesa is in its fifth year on the clock, the state board sent a panel to visit the school in March to speak with school staff, school board, parents and others to compile a report and recommend a potential pathway for the school.<\/p>\n

Potential pathways when a school has reached its maximum years on the clock include closing the school\u2019s doors, turning it into a charter or placing it under outside management.<\/p>\n

The panel filed a 40-page recommendation on options for Mesa. In its recommendation, the state panel suggested that the best course of action for Mesa would be to turn over management to a public or private entity other than the district to take on responsibility for the school.<\/p>\n

The three main areas of focus noted were a need of improvement in behavior management and school culture, better systems for observation, feedback and professional development, along with leadership support in change of management.<\/p>\n

They said a school needs to show two years\u2019 worth of measured improvement before they can finally be taken off the clock.<\/p>\n

The CDE representatives also noted the district could improve by continuing to build student improvement, partner with educators and build trust and communication with parents, staff and the community.<\/p>\n

Residents voice complaints<\/strong><\/div>\n

Before citizens addressed the Board, vice-president Sherri Wright, who was filling in for Noyes, reminded those in attendance to be civil in how they addressed the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you use personal attacks, I will ask you to leave,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Tom
Tom Burris<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sherri
Sherri Wright<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Montezuma-Cortez High School teacher and head football coach Garrett Watkins started by speaking about coaching pay, noting that it was very low when compared with pay in the area. According to Watkins, his coaching salary is $3,000 for a head coaching position, while assistant coaches in Shiprock are making $6,900 and head coaches $9,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe coach because we love coaching and love our kids, not to get rich obviously,\u201d he said. \u201cThe least our coaches should expect for exhausting work and minimal pay is support for themselves and for their athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watkins said at the beginning of the school year, he walked the practice field with Burris and Wright, telling them about the hazardous and uneven field conditions.<\/p>\n

There was one hole in particular that could cause serious injury to athletes if they happened to step in it while running, and Watkins said Burris said they would make sure it was fixed that day.<\/p>\n

He said they fixed the hole by filling it with gravel and putting a strip of sod over it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a coach, this is frustrating and alarming,\u201d Watkins said, calling it either \u201cmalicious negligence or gross incompetence.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also spoke of how the track team and coaches received no help from the school when it came to maintenance and preparing for the team\u2019s home track meet, and that Burris had raised questionable claims about how track coaches Bob Archibeque and Jeremy Yarbrough used track team funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn unfounded accusation that was even supported by a few board members. Our coaches deserve better,\u201d Watkins said.<\/p>\n

Dan Tamminga, a high school teacher who has taught in the district for seven years, criticized the decision to place high school Principal Emily Moreland on administrative leave, saying she was \u201cthe best principal I have ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Moreland helped change the school for the better by implementing improved teacher methods, professional development and student engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was fired for standing up for her students,\u201d he said. \u201cStudents and staff have felt betrayed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents feel as though their voices have been stifled, and teachers are afraid to speak out and stand for their students,\u201d Tamminga said.<\/p>\n

Tamminga told the board there had been multiple opportunities for Burris to speak with staff members about changes in the district, but that he had avoided having those conversations.<\/p>\n

He said the only communication teachers had been given from Burris came in the form of two columns written by Burris and published on The Journal\u2019s<\/em> opinion page that were were \u201cfilled with lies and half-truths.\u201d He said the district needed to be held accountable.<\/p>\n

JJ Lewis, a local emergency health mental health co-responder, social worker, psychotherapist and adventure therapist, said he was becoming increasingly concerned about the treatment of students and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am here to express my concern over the failures of the board and the failures of your superintendent, and to demand he immediately resign, if he had the courage to be here,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to address the ineptitude that is irrefutable,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He spoke of the Montezuma-Cortez district\u2019s performance, noting that it is one of the lowest performing districts in the state of Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the board\u2019s responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lewis said he has been called out to the school for his work as a therapist and mental health co-responder, saying that depression, self-harm and suicide ideation is running rampant in the schools, and the \u201cmass exodus of teachers and administration\u201d brought about by the atmosphere created by Burris isn\u2019t helping.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids are in danger,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also said in speaking with teachers and other school staff, he has learned about the culture becoming increasingly toxic in district schools. He said that even staff members refer to the superintendent as \u201cBurris the bully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has created a culture of fear, intimidation, retribution and abuse,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cI demand Burris step down immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few other parents and concerned members of the community addressed the board on this and other matters. Some angrily left the meeting before it was over.<\/p>\n

The next meeting will take place Tuesday, June 20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

recommends that Mesa Elementary be managed outside district<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,216,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-33893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-cortez-school-district-re-1","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82394,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33893\/revisions\/82394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33893"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=33893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}