District overview
Upper Rio Grande School District C-7
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How is Upper Rio Grande School District paid for?
Upper Rio Grande School District C-7 runs Del Norte Elementary and Del Norte Jr/Sr High for about 370 students. A five-member elected Board of Education governs under a Policy Governance model and hires the superintendent, Aaron Horrocks. Colorado's school finance formula pays per student, so falling enrollment cuts revenue, and the state is moving from a four-year to a three-year enrollment average. Local property taxes add a voter-approved override and bond payments.
2026 mill levy
39.537 mills total: 21.308 formula, 9.0 voter-approved override, 0.071 abatement, 9.158 bond redemption.
Cash reserves
196 days of cash on hand in January 2026, against a state minimum of 90.
Finance office
An outside firm, Abacus LLC, has run accounting since the CFO resigned in December 2025.
Who decides
David Cobb (president), Jill Martinez (vice president), Emily Boyd, Jeremy Gallegos and appointed member Leroy Trujillo.
The 2024-25 audit was clean, and the auditor and Abacus both said the books were in good shape.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Rodeo grounds lease with Del Norte Chamber of Commerce
proposedThe Chamber proposed leasing the district rodeo grounds in March; the board approved a revised rodeo and fairgrounds lease on July 15, 2026, and the October 29 agenda proposes rescinding that approval.
- Chamber proposal
- Lease approved
- Rescission on agenda
Funding
Lease terms not posted
Wi-Fi access point replacement
in_progressAccess points about 15 years old are being replaced with E-Rate support; purchases were placed by July 2026.
- Plan presented
- Purchases placed
Funding
E-Rate plus district funds (amount not stated)
Recent news
Built from Upper Rio Grande School District Board of Education agendas, minutes and meeting audio recordings from October 2025 to October 2026, in public Google Drive folders linked from urtigers.schoolblocks.com.
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