Fifth-graders Ella Carr and Daenerys Peterson, with technology teacher Jordon Downing, demonstrate their 3D-printed maze and robotic ball to the board.

Photo by Wes Isenhart

GILPIN COUNTY — In a marathon meeting on January 20, the Gilpin County School District RE-1 Board of Education (BOE) discussed and voted on a wide variety of issues ranging from the district budget and school calendar to changing district policies, raising teacher pay, and responding to social media posts.

The meeting lasted over two and a half hours, with all board members in attendance.

Student recognition

During the student recognition portion of the meeting, the board welcomed Makaela Johnson, the December Secondary School Student of the Month. Johnson is a senior who is involved in horse riding competitions and wants to become a veterinarian.

Cayson Brubaker was recognized as the January GCES Student of the Month. In nominating Brubaker, his classroom teacher said that he is resilient and kind with a sense of humor and patience.

Ella Carr and Daenerys Peterson from Jordon Downing’s class presented on 3D-printing and programming.

Principals’ reports

Elementary School Principal Patrick Linnehan provided charts and a summary of the comparisons between the fall and winter STAR assessments regarding reading and math skills for each grade. All grades showed improvements in math and reading proficiency.

Secondary Principal Sarah Reich also provided charts of the middle school Winter STAR assessments with benchmarks. Except for 6th grade math, the majority of students in all grades were at or above the state benchmarks for reading and math.

Reich congratulated the students who were inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), and thanked Heather Newman and Anita Myers for being sponsors.

The 2025 NHS Inductees are Ezekiel Bloom, Carter Eliassen, Keira Ferrante, Jett Hanssen, Justin Kennedy, Nutcha Saowan, Suzanna Schoell, Leo Simpson-Wilhelm, and Lilliana Taylor. NJHS Inductees are Parker Dorst, Kenzie Oliver, Eowyn Peterson, and Elizabeth Teno.

Statistics between 2025 and 2026 on Detentions, Referrals, and Suspensions were also part of Reich’s report. There were fewer detentions and referrals from the previous year.

Superintendent’s report

Superintendent David MacKenzie noted that January is Board of Education Recognition Month and thanked the board members for their many hours of volunteer service and dedication to the students.

The Bleachers/Press Box Project and ADA Accessibility Project have both been completed.

MacKenzie recommended the school calendar not be changed so start and finish dates for the next school year remain consistent with the current calendar.

Policy updates

The board unanimously approved on second reading policy revisions and updates from the August 20, 2025, and October 15, 2025, meetings. The list of policies updated is in the BOE agenda and includes BG School Board Policy Process, KLG Relations with State and Federal Agencies, and IKF-E Graduation Requirements.

Budget

Business Analyst Joe Tinucci appeared before the board to answer questions prior to their vote on the Revised Adopted June 25/26 Budget.

Tinucci clarified for Board Member Kristen Goodlet that the number of students funded by the state for budget purposes for the 2025-2026 school year is 353. The previous school year count was 386, an 8.5% decline in state funded enrollments.

The board discussed the current revised budget with Tinucci and MacKenzie. It has a revenue-to-expense balance of $8,949,980, and trade-offs in the proposed 2026-2027 budget.

Colorado has a budget shortfall of around a billion dollars this year, MacKenzie noted. While the current state administration has no plans to cut back on education funding, it might be forced to do so.

MacKenzie related the difficulties in hiring qualified teachers on the current salary schedule. There is a shortage of teachers, with fewer college graduates getting teaching degrees. Gilpin RE-1 has to compete with surrounding districts for available talent.

MacKenzie recommended the board focus on salary increases as a budget priority. Tinucci noted that future budgets have flat revenue projections, so funding salary increases will require careful analysis of all costs and benefits.

The district still has substantial reserves, but will need an additional $600,000 to $700,000 to finish the sewer project. Tinucci cautioned that there will also be facility maintenance and repair costs in future budgets.

After discussion, the Board unanimously voted to approve the Revised June Adopted Working Budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 and all supporting funds.

Superintendent’s contract

The discussion regarding the automatic contract renewal of the superintendent turned to planning for MacKenzie’s retirement and replacement. State statute requires an automatic contract renewal unless there is a contract termination request by either party.

MacKenzie said that he would be open to serving two more years, through the 2027-2028 school year, with a retirement date of June 30, 2028. The board will need to conduct a search for his replacement prior to that date, as that is about a six-month process with community input and multiple rounds of interviews.

Planning Meet and Confer

The next to last topic of the night was the format of the Meet and Confer meetings with staff. After discussion, the Board left the format the same, with the next meeting scheduled for later in the spring.

Board Member Joe Marr introduced an item for consideration that was not on the agenda. He recommended the Board change the day of their meetings because the current Tuesday meeting has had conflicts with school functions like sports.

Monday and Wednesday were floated as possible alternatives, to be voted on at a future board meeting.

Communication protocol

The final topic of the night was Board/Superintendent communication protocols, defined in the KE Public Concerns policy.

The discussion centered on board members not directly commenting on social media posts to allow the superintendent to address an issue through normal communication channels. Public participation at board meetings was also highlighted as a way to bring a concern before the Board.

The next meeting of the Gilpin School District RE-1 Board of Education will be Tuesday February 3, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the board room.

The agenda, supporting documents including the budget spreadsheets, and video of the January 20 meeting are available on the district website: gilpin.k12.co.us.