Author: Durango Herald Editorial Board

As rural schools struggle with teacher shortages, we need all capable hands on deck. Recent House bills signed into law helped retired teachers and other employees return to work without a reduction in pension benefits. But these laws don’t apply to administrators. Tom Burris, interim superintendent at Montezuma-Cortez School District, is one of those administrators.…

When we think of cringy things our dads do, who could top what it must have been like for Ivanka Trump? She stood near her father while his inner circle repeatedly told the former president he clearly lost the 2020 election. What would it feel like for Ivanka to hear Donald Trump lean on election…

The every-other-year Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which for years has provided crucial insights into middle- and high-schoolers’ physical, mental, social and behavioral health, has been in conservatives’ cross hairs before. Now the anonymous, voluntary survey is even more politicized. Students are asked about sexual activity, consent, drug and alcohol use, suicide, weapons, bullying, gender identity…

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert is good at what she does, to the great appreciation of her supporters. When the congresswoman drapes a border-crosser’s insulation blanket across her lap, shouts at the president during his address to tie him to the final American military casualties in Afghanistan or bill-boards her shawl with “drill baby drill,” recognition…

We have approximately 400 million guns in this country. But being armed to the teeth isn’t making us safer. It’s turning this country into a patchwork of killing fields, with our most precious people – our children – most at risk. What do we say after this latest school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left…

What’s a college education worth? It’s difficult to match a price with what we learn and who we become from this experience. Yet, we know when the price is too high. That’s the case for more than 43 million people under the weight of federal student loan debt. For many, it’s financially – and soul – crushing.…

When thinking about what’s dangerous in Florida – gators, hurricanes, very old people with driver’s licenses – we would not have listed math textbooks. Yet, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education rejected 54 of 132 textbooks – 26 for “prohibited topics” – and revealed examples of social-emotional learning considered dangerous and indoctrinating…

Convenience is a distinctly American value. The more convenient something is, the more we embrace it, especially if we save time and money. For generations, this quest for convenience has taken hold in our daily lives. The quicker we can cook or clean – hello, nonstick pans – the better. The more waterproof our rain…

A Washington Post/ABC News poll last week showed that 70% of Americans say a decision about an abortion is between a woman and her doctor. This majority is considerable. And we couldn’t agree more. This has been a longstanding, unwavering position in these Opinion pages. With the leak of the draft opinion from the Supreme…

If you were out and about last week, you may have seen Citizens Voice Durango members out in the wind, standing behind long tables with flapping papers, clipboards of petitions and toy red fire trucks. The group’s intention is to force the city to change its code for fire and police developments from allowed use…