GILPIN COUNTY — The Gilpin County RE-1 School District Board of Education meeting on September 21, 2026, featured recognition of academic and participation achievements.

They also received updates by the chair of the District Accountability Committee (DAC) and heard about grants totaling over $730,000 that have been awarded to the District.

Superintendent David MacKenzie reported that the District has been designated by the Colorado Department of Education as a Colorado Attendance Challenge Champion for reducing absenteeism over the last four school years by 71.2%. Chronic absenteeism rates have declined from 36.5% in the 2021-2022 school year to 10.5% in the 2025-2026 school year. The District is one of 18 in the state to be recognized for this accomplishment.

Secondary School Principal Sarah Reich in her report highlighted that the  High School Academic Achievement, Academic Growth, and  Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness received an overall rating of "Distinction." The secondary school accreditation rating for 2026 was "Performance.” The graduation rate was 97% for 2026.

Elementary School Principal Patrick Linnehan reported to the Board that the District has switched from STAR to NWEA for benchmark testing for mathematics and reading. Elementary teachers have attended two professional development training sessions held by NWEA on administering tests and navigating specific NWEA reports.

Complementing the NWEA material, the District has purchased the IXL software system, which allows for self-paced learning and providing practice and instruction at Colorado State Standard skills.

In MacKenzie's report to the board, he announced that the District had received a School Health Professional Grant for $155,299 a year for three years to fund a School Social Worker position. The grant totals $465,897.

The District has also received a School Access for Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant for $265,002 for Interoperable Communication between school staff and Gilpin Sheriff’s Dispatch Center.

New business

The Board met with the chair of the District Accountability Committee, Jonelle Kirkpatrick, and discussed charges the committee reviews and advises on for the coming school year. A final calendar of 2026/2027 DAC activities will be approved at the October meeting.

 DAC meetings are on the third Monday of the month at 5:30 prior to the Board of Education meeting. The meetings are open to the public, including all parents and educators. The contact email for DAC is dac@gilpin.k12.co.us.

Board members Kirstin Goodlett and Jill Peterson attended the 86th Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) 2026 Fall Conference and Delegate Assembly in Breckenridge on September 12, and reported back to the Board the outcomes of the resolutions that the Board supported. CASB lobbyists will promote those resolutions that received majority support in the 2027 state legislative session.

Board members will also be attending the CASB 86th Annual Convention at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs from December 3 to 5, 2026. The convention features keynote speakers and work sessions to help educate school board members around the state.

The board members finished the evening discussing communication protocols and the wastewater interconnect project. When asked about the project, Joe Marr explained that he was in communication with the school engineers about the design for the final section and connection.

The current design required a 27-foot manhole through solid rock, which Marr said was dangerous, could cost millions, and therefore was unacceptable. He said they were going to sit down with local contractors and try to do some value engineering.

At this point, there is no final design, an estimate of how much additional it will cost to complete, or a timeline for completion of the project.

The meeting featured a presentation by Heather Fuller’s 7th grade students on using the new IXL application for personalized learning. Zoe Zeckser, Isis Simon, and Claire Starkey demonstrated how the application worked and shared how they used it. Taurean Paxton was the student of the month.  

Documents for this meeting can be found on the District website (gilpin.k12.co.us). Click on the About tab and the Board of Education.

The discussion of the wastewater interconnect project begins at 2:30:30 of the YouTube recording.

The next RE-1 board meeting will be on Monday October 5, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the school boardroom.