After reading Kathy Setka's opinion about Animas High School (Herald, Jan. 28), I was concerned with her conclusions.
No doubt there are some students who would benefit from the alternative high school she advocates, Animas High School. I wonder about the timing. Increasing secondary infrastructure requirements for 9-R is a tough pill to swallow. Faced with the current economic downturn, the district will be hard-pressed to maintain and staff existing facilities and programs, let alone add another high school. These are tough times, likely to get tougher. Is it in the best interest of this community and students to bear the additional financial obligations of Animas High School now?
The proponents of Animas High School seem to feel the district is not providing a high academic standard for students at Durango High School. I beg to differ; Durango High School consistently places students in the best universities in the country. Not only are they accepted to those prestigious schools, they have managed, in many cases, to graduate from those institutions with highest honors. We have an incredible staff of teachers in School District 9-R, to whom I feel personally indebted.
Those who have worked hard on the new high school are to be commended for seeing a need and acting to address it. School District 9-R was not involved in granting the charter to Animas High School, however, state funding will be affected by diminished enrollment making its budget even tighter. It would be great if these parties could take a lesson from our new president and sit down and listen to each other, find common ground and work toward a solution based on the common good.
Jim Sims, Durango
