Rick Petersen for Durango 9-R

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It is such a wonderful feeling to know that my community supports the work I do for our students and families on the school board. None of us could have done it without you!

Please, if you have yard signs, do not throw the metal stands away. We have some wonderful folks in our community who collect those and keep them to help offset costs for future campaigns. If you have signs and stands that you'd like picked up, please message.

Today is the final day! Please be sure you, your family members, and your friends return their ballot before 7:00 p.m. This is important! Keep Durango schools moving forward!

This.

This is a great piece Andrea! Important to have Board members who know the truth, not just the uninformed rumors! If anyone in the community has any sort of questions or concerns, go to the source! Email the board through the DSD website. We always want to hear from opur community!

Another MISCONCEPTION Monday.

Here we are again...

There’s a claim circulating that Durango schools lost 700+ students last year - with the implication that families are leaving our schools because something is wrong within Durango School District (DSD).

THIS IS NOT ACCURATE. The statements suggesting a mass exodus of hundreds of families to alternative education paths such as homeschooling are a total misrepresentation of the facts.

- Here’s the truth about our student numbers:

ENROLLMENT FACTORS: In 2016, Durango School District became an authorizer for Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango (CCA), a statewide online school serving students across Colorado - mostly on the Front Range. Last year, DSD ended that agreement, which means those students are no longer reflected (and hence the sizable drop) in official enrollment numbers. These ARE NOT families withdrawing from our local schools.

FUNDING: During the COVID peak, enrollment in CCA climbed to more than 2,000 students. DSD simply administered the funding as a pass-through; these were never students in our classrooms using funding or resources allocated to local kids.

OVERSIGHT & ACCOUNTABILITY: CCA operated independently, with no real oversight or accountability from DSD - yet its student performance data was still included in our District averages. With a graduation rate near 30%, far below Durango High School’s 95%, CCA's outcomes reflected poorly and inaccurately on our overall performance.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS: Demographers statewide have long projected modest enrollment declines for districts like ours, which the community is currently experiencing. These declines are driven by lower birth rates, high housing costs, immigration, and fewer young families moving into the region. These trends began well before the pandemic and are being seen across Colorado, not just in Durango.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Families didn’t “leave” our schools en masse. Rather, DSD responsibly ended a statewide online contract that never served local students. Our Board of Education continues to plan thoughtfully for gradual, predicted demographic enrollment shifts while staying focused on students and schools here in Durango.

I’m running for reelection along with Erika for Durango 9-R and Rick Petersen for Durango 9-R. Addressing the real changes in enrollment facing Durango Schools is one of the many serious issues we’re focused on as Board members working together in Leading 9-R Forward.

Be like Mick!

Incumbent Sign Posting Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Thanks to Senator Hickenlooper for his support and belief in our team! Andrea for Durango 9-R Erika for Durango 9-R

Another endorsement!

Thank you John W. Hickenlooper for your support of Rick Petersen for Durango 9-R, Andrea for Durango 9-R, and I to continue leading Durango Schools forward.

Ballots have arrived - you can vote for ALL THREE of us regardless of where you live.

So there's some out there trying to convince people that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a partisan concept. Just because one political party tries to tie it to another political party does not make it partisan, they only wish it did.
Good info here from the (NON-partisan) League of Women Voters:

https://www.lwv.org/blog/what-dei-beyond-buzzwords

Supporting every student, every day.

What is DEI? Beyond the Buzzwords | League of Women Voters If you’ve been keeping up with the news, you’re probably aware of the recent attacks on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) policies. But what is DEI, how does it really impact us and our democracy? This blog will provide more clarity into the concept, who’s opposing it, and why it’...

Erika for Durango 9-R, Andrea for Durango 9-R, and I are thrilled to see our signs popping up all over town and the county!
We have heard of a few instances of codes enforcement removing signs in the right of way. PLEASE be sure your sign is on your property! We want everyone to see them through election day! 😍

Show us your support!

THE RACE IS ON! If you requested signs please check as they have likely been delivered and left at an entrance to your home. If you still want some for a visible location reach out to me, Erika for Durango 9-R or Rick Petersen for Durango 9-R - supplies are low!

PLEASE be sure signs are on your property and not in the city or county right of way where they will be removed.

As always, thank you for your support of our work in Durango School District.

Great info here from most of the candidates running for school board. Do your research; know who you are voting for!

2025 Durango School Board Candidate Forum This virtual forum, hosted by the La Plata County Democrats on October 1, 2025, gave voters the chance to hear directly from candidates running for the Duran...

Way to go Park elementary!

It's 🔥 Trailblazing Tuesday! 🔥

Today, we want to give a shout out to the trailblazing work of Park Elementary School. This school won a Governor's Improvement Award from the Colorado Department of Education.

Learn more about these honors here: https://ow.ly/yYAl50WFGbA

On Trailblazing Tuesdays, we spotlight the innovative work of our staff and students. You'll also see examples of how our students are learning Portrait of a Graduate power skills and incorporating them into their school projects.