Since the Confluence Early Childhood Development Service District was established last November by way of ballot measure 7A, the district’s newly elected Board of Directors has been busy laying the groundwork for a strong start to represent a diverse community.
“It’s a really exciting time to be involved in local government,” said Carolynne “Carly” Kraemer, board chair and Seat 4 representative. “On a national level people are becoming more involved and the voices that haven’t been historically represented or heard are showing up. This is a great time because that will carry forward and show up here.”
Proposed by the nonprofit Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition (CECE) and approved by 60% of regional voters, the special tax district will expand and improve access and affordability for early childhood care and education by leveraging funds from a 0.25% sales and use tax. Spanning the Parachute to Aspen corridor, the district is a government entity, separate from CECE, and will coordinate efforts between county, municipal and school district boundaries to maximize impact.
That same ballot, regional voters also elected five directors. Together they will oversee implementation of the district’s service plan, manage funding — including grant and tuition assistance allocation — expand existing programs and strengthen support for families.
Larimer County is the only other Colorado region that has approved a similar initiative. Ultimately, the board is operating with extra intention while navigating new terrain.
“The [district’s] service plan has some very specific parameters, but the implementation piece is very broad. We want to make sure we’re very intentional with what that piece looks like,” said Kraemer. “Before we figure out where and how we want to go, we have to get our board really strong.”
In addition to Kraemer, the current board includes Seat 1 representative Amy Shipley (also director of Basalt Library), Seat 2 representative Paul Stanley (Garfield County Libraries’ Youth Services Coordinator), Seat 3 representative Adley Larimer (a former coach with Early Childhood Network) and Seat 5 representative Stefan Reveal (a loan officer at Alpine Bank and co-chair of the Kids First Advisory Board).
“We come from all these different backgrounds and it’s so great we have different strengths to bring,” said Kraemer, who serves on the Basalt Elementary School Accountability Committee and is a former board member of Growing Years preschool. “We’re working hard to make sure we have a foundational understanding of everything.”
Since early December, the board has focused on preliminary work such as developing administrative structures, systems of governance and oversight, drafting and approving the budget and continuing to gather community feedback. The board also appointed Glenwood Springs-based law firm Karp Neu Hanlon for legal counsel.
As a volunteer board that must operate with complete public transparency, Kraemer recognized that progress seems slow right now; but with a strong foundation the district can operate more effectively. Notably, anticipated funds are arriving into the district earlier than expected — March rather than June. However, because the systems are still being finalized, a timeline for distribution has yet to be confirmed. Kraemer did confirm that this year’s funds will only be allocated for early childhood education capacity and quality grants to address the lack of spots. Tuition subsidies for families will begin next year.
“There’s an urgency, but we need thoughtful execution,” said Kraemer. “We need to go slow to then go fast. I’d rather be thoughtful about a system than to hurry up and create one for the sake of execution and then have to backpedal.”
To assist with building the district’s programmatic infrastructure, the board recently selected Kathryn Kuhlenberg to serve as the interim executive director. Subject to final board approval on March 12, Kuhlenberg will help the board “maintain momentum, stabilize operations and build core infrastructure during the district’s initial formation.” This transitional independent contractor role is expected to begin in early 2026 and bridge a six to 12-month period before a permanent executive director is appointed.
“It’s not a permanent position, but it’s foundational and really important. We need to capture the public’s priorities from the get-go,” said Kraemer.
Moving forward, Kraemer emphasized the need to continue encouraging community collaboration.
“I hope that we lay a really strong foundation for operations that are centered on systems and the person — data-driven and also honoring the individual experience,” said Kraemer. “It’s our responsibility to keep the public’s interests centered; and not just the public’s interests, but the children and the families … Every person in this valley is part of the fabric of our community … When we help everyone we are strengthening that fabric.”
Regular board meetings occur the second Thursday of each month at 9:30am at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs. Visit www.confluencedistrict.org or email general@confluencedistrict.org for more information.