Optimismat Start of 2026-27 School Year
At the start of her ninth year as Hinsdale Superintendent of Schools, Rebecca Hall is cautiously optimistic as she reviews prospects for the start of 2026-27 school year at Lake City Community School.Superintendent Hall characteristically beams with optimism on the outlook for start of the 144-day school year next Tuesday, August 25, and continued focused work by both school staff and school board.Hall is also excited to introduce two new staff members, Kristen Archuleta as Admin-istrative Assistant and — a first for Lake City — a three-quarter time School Nurse, Melody Crump.Hall’s caution, however, comes with advance planning for potential school-related impacts due to proximity of the ongoing Elk Wildfire.Official first day of school for students at Lake City Community School is 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, August 25, Kindergarten through high school senior, classes Tuesday through Friday each week and a slightly different schedule for the school’s youngest, pre-school scholars.Four-year-old preschoolers, Leigh Parker returning as instructor, convene starting 8 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, while three-year-olds have an 8 a.m. starting time three days per week, Wednesday through Friday.Enrollment statistics for the new year are still being compiled but will be approximately static to last year — 75 students and three 12th Grade graduates at school’s end for the 2025-26 year — for Preschool through High School, latter eight presumptive graduates, in year 2026-27.Upcoming school dates include school board members grilling burgers for the school’s annual start-of-school barbeque starting 4:30 p.m. Thursday, September 3, and further ahead, according to Coach Dan Scroggins, the school’s cross country team hosting Gunnison, Crested Butte, and San Luis Valley counterparts at the Lake City Invitational in downtown Lake City on Friday, September 25.While school year 2026-27 officially commences Tuesday morning next week, Superintendent Hall and school staff were figuratively back in the saddle this week with full-day in-service days in the school’s gymnasium, Wednesday’s all-day topic on the weighty theme “Restorative Practices: Tools and Strategies to Help Build Healthy Relationships, Solve Conflicts, and Repair Harm” with noted San Luis Valley motivational speaker Luke Yoder.Restorative Practices keys in nicely with the overall 2026-27 school theme “rooted in growth” which, according to Hall, is three-pronged: strengthening belonging in terms of student wellness, the second prong being continuing to “persue excellence,” and, finally, “build the future: post secondary work readiness” as the third thematic prong.This week’s in-service schedule for teachers and staff started on an upbeat, reconnecting basis with breakfast on Monday morning at Euphoria Restaurant and was followed later in the week with a Zoom update Tuesday morning on the Elk Fire status and predictions from Hinsdale Emergency Manager Phil Graham, the in-service topics also including half the staff taking CPR training and a half-day SafeTALK on suicide prevention, as well as allowing teachers time to organize their classrooms.At Emergency Manager Phil Graham’s update on Tuesday morning, Superintendent Hall queried Graham as to whether school service suppliers from Gunnison or access to the school by a commuting Powderhorn area teacher might be disrupted on Highway 149 north of town by mud or debris flows as a result of the Elk Fire.Graham predicted “no significant impacts” to the highway are foreseen in the event of a rain deluge on higher elevation areas severely burned by the fire. Due to the topography which includes areas of unburned trees and vegetation between the fire and the highway, it is unlikely debris flows will reach lower elevations. From school science instructor Dan Scroggins, EM Graham was questioned on air quality as a result of smoke from the Elk Fire between now and winter snows. Graham refered to the PurpleAir website and the fact air quality is locally monitored, including one monitor evaluating air quality at Silver Thread Public Health on Third Street.Otherwise, Graham noted the extreme variability of winds and overall atmospherics impacting smoke density. “Smoke,” he said, “is due to intense burning which is not foreseen in coming days. Burn intensity was lower than expected yesterday,” Graham said on Tuesday, “and it is encouraging that there was less smoke than was anticipated.”Hall thanked Graham at the end of his Zoom update, saying “I’m feeling more relaxed.”Graham returned the compliment by praising Hall for her innovative handout, “Elk Fire: What to Expect on School Days” which plots three potential scenarios, green coded days when school classes proceed as normal, but also the potential of what might occur with yellow coded “modified days” in the event pre-evacuation notices are issued, highway travel becomes a concern, or staffing is limited.In the most severe scenario, red, remote learning would occur if the school is evacuated, air quality deteriorates, or Highway 149 is deemed unsafe.In the event of a fire flair up during dry weather later this fall, Superintendent Hall was questioned late last week on how the school would respond.Hall has been apprised of the wildfire status on a daily basis throughout the summer and learned first hand during a succession of three public meetings which were hosted in the school gymnasium in July and August. The first July public meeting was attended by over 350 individuals, far larger than any prior public wildfire meeting scheduled by the federal agencies.Long-term through fall and until snow accumulation, Hall expresses confidence, noting “we’ll have time to make decisions… we’re mindful at the start of school that this has been a different sort of summer.”In the unlikely event classes in the school would be cancelled, administration would fall back on past options, one being busing to Gunnison or, more likely, a switch to remote, online instruction, “one good thing,” Hall days, “which came out of COVID.”Online instruction would be an obvious alternative in the event wildfire resulted in staff or students were evacuated from their homes, some potentially housing with relatives outside the region or even ouf-of-state.On a brighter note, Superintendent Hall’s overview of the upcoming Lake City school year credits ongoing strategic plan review work by Hinsdale School Board Directors Tara Hardy, Phillip Virden, Rob Hudgeons, Camille Richard, and Kristen Carson which this year includes “portrait
