Last month, the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) announced new school leaders, reviewed district policies, recognized departing high school graduates and navigated public tensions. Busy agendas marked a year of challenges, changes and resilience.
On May 6, RFSD announced two additional assistant principal hires, following earlier administration appointments made in late March and early April. Missy Britton will serve as the interim assistant principal for Riverview School during the upcoming school year. Britton has worked at Riverview in teaching and administrative roles since the school opened in 2017. Nicole Johnson will be the new assistant principal at Crystal River Elementary. Johnson spent the past four years as the assistant principal at Fort Morgan High School, and previously taught for 10 years.
On May 16, the district additionally announced interim principal and interim assistant principal hirings at Sopris Elementary School. Carrie Hassel, who has been the school’s assistant principal for eight years, will assume the interim principal position. Sam Hawk has taught at the school for seven years and is stepping into the interim assistant principal role. The process to hire permanent placements will launch in November.
The district’s first board meeting of the month covered significant territory, lasting more than three hours and included a review of the 2024-2025 Equity Impact Statement, a finance update, a health insurance recommendation, multiple resolutions recognizing holidays, an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Glenwood Springs and final adjustments to the 2026-2027 academic calendar.
For the superintendent report, Dr. Anna Cole addressed the district’s 2024-2025 Equity Impact Statement, touching on its progress toward aligning, integrating and advancing diversity and inclusion in schools. The document includes 10 categories and lays out goals for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Christy Chicoine provided a third-quarter financial update, highlighting near-term expectations for five funds — including the Technology Mill Fund and Health Insurance Fund.
The board heard presentations regarding seven policy updates, ranging from bullying prevention and education to open enrollment. The full text for each proposed policy adjustment is linked in the board agenda and approval is recommended as soon as possible. Two more policies were presented for first readings regarding early literacy and reading comprehension and graduation requirements.
That same week, RFSD recognized its 245 graduating seniors ahead of commencement ceremonies on May 23 and 24. Over 20% of the graduates were awarded a total of $850,400 in local scholarships. Two district students, Ty Hesse and Amanda Madden, were among 50 statewide Boettcher Scholarship recipients.
“We are so proud of the class of 2025. We look forward to celebrating their many accomplishments along with their families, friends and, importantly, the teachers, staff and administrators who supported their academic journey,” Cole stated.
During May 28’s superintendent report, Cole shared a thorough one-year strategic plan update and co-presented a school safety and security update with Chief Operating Officer Ben Bohmfalk and School Safety and Security Coordinator Dustin Gehring. CFO Chicoine then presented a draft of the 2025-2026 budget. The board reviewed the early literacy and graduation requirement policies introduced at the previous meeting, with recommendations to adopt and implement those as soon as possible. From there, its members proceeded to formally certify the 2025 district graduates.
On May 23, Riverview School opened a public disc golf course designed and built by its seventh and eighth-grade students.
“We’re thrilled to offer a new opportunity for our community to connect, be active and explore the outdoors,” said Shawn Waaler, a Riverview teacher who supported the project. “This fast-growing sport, often described as a mix of traditional golf and frisbee, now has a home here.”
Last week, the regional Latino advocacy group Voces Unidas de las Montañas announced it would halt collaborations with RFSD and Superintendent Cole. Voces Unidas expressed that RFSD is not moving quickly enough to address inequities and the achievement gap between Latino and white students. Cole has indicated that she and the board are making efforts to address Voces Unidas’ concerns and resume regular collaborative meetings.
The final regular board meeting of the 2024-2025 school year will be held on June 11, 6:15pm, at the District Office in Carbondale. The board will host a virtual meeting on June 25 to approve the 2025-2026 budget.