DENVER—Colorado school boards plan to hold their annual convention at the luxury Broadmoor hotel this weekend.
The three-day meeting comes as districts across the state are planning to cut millions of dollars from their budgets because of the recession.
The Colorado Association of School Boards said its conference will feature sessions and speakers that are designed to help boards deal with the times, including a session on budget cutting intended to reduce the impact on students.
“We think there are some things they can learn here that can help them deal with the difficult times,” said CASB spokesman Brad Stauffer.
About 1,000 people from 152 districts are expected to attend.
Convention-goers pay $330 if attending all three days and can get discounted rooms at the five-star Broadmoor, ranging from $150 to $238. Those staying for all three days can expect to spend about $1,000 on registration, meals and lodging.
The Denver school board also planned to hold its own retreat at the hotel on Thursday ahead of the convention, in part to seek help from a marriage therapist because of a contentious meeting this week.
The board had decided to hire Susan Heitler for a $2,400 session following their fall retreat but school board president Theresa Pena said the focus switched to team building and leadership after Monday’s meeting.
Heitler is a marriage therapist who also works with organizations.
On Monday, board member Andrea Merida took her oath of office in front of a district judge hours ahead of her scheduled swearing-in ceremony, which bumped longtime member Michelle Moss from the board. Merida then voted against reforms at a troubled middle school, which were adopted by the board as a whole.
The Denver board originally planned to hold that meeting in private but opened it to the public following a legal challenge by The Denver Post under the Colorado Open Meetings Law.
Denver might have to cut up to $25 million from its budget. Suburban Jefferson County plans to cut $18 million to $20 million a year over the next three years.
Moss, the former school board member, said the conference sessions at the Broadmoor are helpful but said the appearance may be troubling to some people.
“Board members need professional development, but the appearance in Denver, when we are talking about cutting $20 million, it’s not pretty,” she said.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
