Dear Animas High School Teachers and Staff,
We wanted to reach out and first and foremost say thank you for your commitment and dedication to Animas High School. We would not be here without the hard work and passion that you exemplify in your classrooms and we recognize that you are without a doubt our most valuable asset.
Our most recent board meeting on Monday, discussions centered around the future direction of the school. Hopefully most of you heard that we unanimously agreed to reauthorize through CSI for a one year period. During this period of time we will continue to explore options for long term sustainability, including the continuation of discussions with both 9R and Mountain Middle School.
At this current time we are in the midst of discussions with 9R about opportunities for collaboration and shared services that benefit all students within the community. We are discussing a more thorough Memorandum Of Understanding that highlights shared non-curricular services in which we can begin to work together to see first-hand how this might impact our students and their educational experience at Animas High School.
With Mountain Middle School, Jake Lauer and Shane Voss have been exploring synergies between our programs and how we can work together to support both schools. There is talk of partnership and possible merger down the line and we are considering what extending our collaborations might look like for our schools and our long term vision.
We want you to know that we will systematically and thoughtfully develop processes for our school to consider both of these opportunities for collaboration and partnership. We recognize the need to have open and transparent conversation around these issues. We are very hopeful that you will be actively involved in the discussions as our teachers’ and staff members’ perspectives are extremely important to the Board. You will be included and encouraged to participate as we move forward. We are in the very initial stages of devising a plan of action for teacher and staff participation and involvement, but your input will be paramount to our process.
Finally, you may be aware that we have recommended changes to our organizational structure affecting the leadership at Animas High School. After careful evaluation, the Board has determined that the Executive Director position, while strategically important, is not financially viable at the current time. We have made the difficult decision to eliminate this role, in order to streamline our operations
and ensure our continued financial viability. We have made provisions to ease the transition of the Executive Director’s responsibilities through the end of this fiscal year. Please note that this change will not affect the day-to-day operations of the school, which continue to be in capable hands with current administration, staff and faculty.
While this decision is both necessary and lamentable, we feel is important to acknowledge the immeasurable contributions of Michael Ackerman to the establishment of Animas High School. We thank him for his years of dedicated service to the school, and for the impact his energy has had its students and teachers. We appreciate his willingness to assist the school as needed over the coming months through the expiration of his current contract.While transition can be difficult, we are thankful to have the support of all of our staff and their continued commitment and dedication to Animas High School. We recognize how fortunate we have been and continue to be and we will do our best at the board level to support and appreciate everyone dedicating their time and energy to our programs. At this time, we do not anticipate any additional changes to other faculty or staff positions at the school. We sincerely appreciate your help and support bringing stability and calmness to our students as we work through these issues. We count on you as our leaders. Please help us reassure our community to remain confident in who we are, what we do, and what we offer.
Thank you again for focusing on our students and programs at Animas High School. Your teaching and the impact that you have on our students everyday is what makes a difference. We thank you.
Sincerely, Animas High School Board
