The Gilpin Board of Education started off the new year on a positive note in a Study and Dialogue session where many of the teachers’ past concerns were addressed.

The Board of Education met with several teachers on January 3, 2023, in the school board meeting room to discuss the progress on the teachers’ concerns brought forward in the November meetings.

The School Board heard that the school honored a $1220 salary increase for teachers who had expected it in the new school year, something that was overlooked as the school switched to new economic management and new insurance. The school board told attending teachers that it intends to continue increasing salaries for teachers as they stay with the school.

During the discussion of salaries, Superintendent Dr. David Mackenzie took time to discuss the state of the school’s funding. The school revenue is stagnant and declining enrollment is affecting government funding. The lack of funds by Black Hawk is not guaranteed in the future. These factors could affect revenue for the school in the future.

The Board announced that they had no plans to hire a permeate sub as suggested in the November meeting. Mackenzie explained that adding another member to the staff would require eliminating a role somewhere else in the school. “Do we really want to add a position with declining enrollment, because we want to be able to keep increasing salaries [for teachers]?” Mackenzie asked. Board president Joe Marr told attending teachers that he and Mackenzie thought that they were thinking of asking some substitute teachers to verbally agree to attend the school twice a week to lessen the burden on teachers picking up each other’s classes. The attending teachers seemed happy with the compromise, especially if substitute teachers could consistently be at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which are often game days for teachers who double as coaches.

Continuing the progress on the previous months’ issues, the school’s kitchen staff successfully held interviews for another staff member to help fill in a shortage. The last item the board discussed is paying teachers who supervise the outdoor education program an hourly wage of $25 an hour from 4 - 10 p.m. and $12.50 from 10 p.m. - 7 a.m. The stipend comes to $525 for three days, a compatible stipend to surrounding schools. The attending teachers reminded the Board that going on field trips like the ones proposed by outdoor education requires hours of preparation and work by teachers.

Finally, the School Board told teachers and constituents that they had no further information on the state’s proposals for universal preschool programs or free school lunches as the Board, as of yet, does not know where the immediate funding for the programs is. Board Vice President Sarah Swanson pointed out that the lunches, which was a ballot initiative in November, are proposed to be funded through an increased tax on certain income brackets, which will take time to collect.

The Gilpin County School Board meets bi-monthly on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Board meetings are held in the Gilpin County School Board Room at the Gilpin County School at 7 p.m.and are open to the public.