District overview

Branson Reorganized School District No. 82

Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.

The Pleasant Valley School, located on County Road 143 south of U.S. Route 160, near Branson, Las Animas County, Colorado. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. — Jeffrey Beall · by-sa

Who runs Branson schools and how is it funded?

Small rural district whose enrollment is now mostly online

Branson Reorganized School District No. 82 is in Las Animas County. It runs a small brick-and-mortar school (63 students in August 2026) and Branson School Online (418 students). A five-member elected board meets on the third Monday of most months. Most money comes from the state school finance formula, which follows enrolled students, so the online school's growth matters to the budget.

Enrollment

Online enrollment went from 72 (June 9) to 418 (August 13, 2026).

Board

Carolyn Brown (president), Dean Clausen (vice president), Brad Doherty (secretary), Christine Louden and Bo Karney. Doherty and Louden were seated in December 2025 after running unopposed.

Leadership

The board approved the superintendent's 2026-27 hiring at $90,000 and hired principals for both schools.

Facilities

A vacant two-story district house had asbestos removed ($23,735) and was demolished in spring 2026.

The minutes do not state the district's total budget, so the size of the online school's effect on revenue is not shown.

Where the district stands

Branson School Online students enrolled, Aug. 13, 2026verified

418 students

Brick-and-mortar school students enrolled, Aug. 16, 2026verified

63 students

Superintendent salary approved for 2026-27verified

90,000 USD

TV advertising for the online school (3 months x ,000, calculated)context

15,000 USD

Major projects

Branson School Online expansion

in progress

The online school added hundreds of students over summer 2026 with TV advertising and new online staff and stipends.

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Apr 20, 2026KOAA ad deal reported
Jun 9, 202672 students enrolled
Aug 13, 2026418 students enrolled

Funding

State per-pupil funding; advertising from district funds

Demolition of vacant district house

complete

Asbestos was removed and the house was demolished.

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Mar 16, 2026Abatement bid approved
May 18, 2026Demolition reported complete

Funding

District funds (asbestos abatement bid)

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Resources

Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.

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Built from 25 board agendas and minutes (Nov. 2025 to Oct. 2026) posted as public Google Drive PDFs on the district website.

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