Montrose County School Board Members voted 6-1 to approve ballot language for the November election. The decision was made during the board’s Tuesday night meeting. Speaking in favor of the new high school was fifth grader Emily Mertens who attends Cottonwood Elementary.
The new Montrose High School referendum for a bond in the amount of $198 million dollars will now go to the voters. The special legislative session taking place that will impact property taxes was mentioned during the bond presentation as well as the large number of ballot issues facing voters in November.
Delta County School Superintendent Caryn Gibson reported on preliminary student enrollment numbers, reports the High Country Spotlight. District-wide there are 4,313 students enrolled, which is only one less student from the previous year. Gibson said the district had budgeted to be around 90 students down.
Gibson also gave an update on the signing bonuses that the board had approved back in May. Each staff member who signs an employment contract on or before September 1 will receive a $500 signing bonus. Over 700 employees will receive the bonus, and Gibson thanked the board for their approval of the bonuses.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Colorado tomorrow to give remarks at a fundraiser in Aspen. The Denver Post reports tickets to the big-dollar event range from five hundred to twenty-five thousand dollars. The stop is one of several in the West as Emhoff campaigns for his wife, Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also visited Colorado this month.
Paonia trustees rejected Town Administrator Stefen Wynn’s resignation and former trustee Bill Brunner announced his intention to sue in district court in a three-hour meeting on Tuesday evening.
