Diana is an all-round excellent leader. She is constantly in the community, whether it is business connections, athletic events, or school plays and concerts. She is up to date on all of the activity during legislative sessions, at both the state and federal level. Dr. Sirko can make tough decisions but, always keeps children first.
—Paul M Pitton
School Board Vice President, Mesa County Valley School District 51
At the onset of the pandemic last March, Dr. Sirko, her leadership team, and the board of education agreed that our district's response to the pandemic would be science/fact based. Dr. Sirko also understood the importance of soliciting voices from the community, parents, staff and the medical community. This structure has been instrumental in hearing each stakeholder's voice regarding the pandemic and its impact on each specific group. A community health advisory committee was formed to provide a platform to listen and solicit feedback from each stakeholder group. The consensus of the advisory committee was instrumental in formulating a plan to move the district successfully forward.
Simultaneously, Dr. Sirko and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Brian Hill  began to meet on a regular basis with the Mesa County Health Department to align the District response with state and county mandates.
Last spring, Dr. Sirko, the board of education and our teachers' association negotiated to add three additional days to our calendar for staff to receive paid training specifically on how to meet the demands related to COVID in the classroom and building setting.
Support for staff and the community was provided via a weekly up-date to staff and parents on the impact of COVID and steps taken district wide. A web-based dashboard was deployed for staff and the community to monitor the impact of COVID on staff and students at each facility across the district in real time.
Dr. Sirko has set the tone for the entire district by continually and consistently reinforcing our response to COVID. Her leadership continues to allow our district to focus on students, keeping them in school and involved in extra-curricular activities whenever possible.
—Thomas Parrish
School Board President, Mesa County Valley School District 51