Earlier this month, the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) board of education officially launched a mill levy override (MLO) exploratory process. Superintendent Dr. Anna Cole shared this at the Feb. 11 board meeting in Carbondale. The research work will evaluate the possibility of initiating and promoting a ballot initiative for this autumn, November 2026.
A MLO is one option for RFSD to further improve its budget standing after several years of challenges. If pursued, Cole shared in a memo, MLO funds would be used to support staff salaries as well as recruitment and retention efforts. Ten members of the RFSD administration and leadership teams are serving on the exploratory committee, including Cole, board chair Lindsay DeFrates and several district school principals.
Chief financial officer Christy Chicoine, who is also serving on the exploratory committee, stated, “Investing in our staff is an investment in our students’ success. This exploratory process will help us determine how to best bridge the gap between our current funding and the true cost of attracting and keeping the best educators in a high-cost district like ours. We need to find ways to ensure that high-quality educators can continue to afford to live in this community.”
To encourage community engagement in the exploratory process, RFSD announced three forum dates to share information and hear input from parents, staff and other community members. The first will be held at Basalt High School on March 16 at 6:30pm. The next day, March 17, another will be hosted at Glenwood Springs Elementary School at 6:30pm. The third, Thursday, March 19, will be hosted at the Carbondale District Office at 6:30pm and will be live streamed and recorded for additional accessibility.
At each of the community meetings, Cole, Chicoine and Aimee Brockman, chief of human resources and talent, will present on the work of the exploratory committee. Cole shared that one of RFSD’s challenges in recent years has been maintaining competitive staff salaries in the face of “mounting external financial pressures.” An MLO is an option that could be a solution to those factors.
Brockman shared, “Data reinforces what we already know, which is that teachers are the most important in-school factor influencing student learning. When turnover is high, learning and relationships are disrupted; when educators are stable and experienced, students thrive.” She added, “Roaring Fork Schools is the seventh most expensive district in the State of Colorado [out of 178 public school districts]. Although we have been proactive and creative — particularly through staff housing initiatives — these efforts alone cannot address the fact that it continues to become more and more difficult for staff to afford to live, work and remain in our school district.”
In addition to the launch of the MLO exploratory process, the RFSD board heard several community comments at the Feb. 11 board meeting. District resident Marc Adler submitted a written comment expressing concern over the closure of Glenwood Springs High School on Jan. 30, when students walked out as part of a nationwide protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics.
District parent Tanner Gianinetti presented a comment reiterating his previously raised concern about elementary school curriculum on health and bodies. District parent Parker Nieslanik also commented on the curriculum, stating that he felt it was introduced without adequate parent consultation. Community member Rick James presented a similar comment on the topic.
Outside of board meetings, RFSD has announced several district updates. Current assistant principal of Sopris Elementary School Carrie Hassel will take over as principal for the 2026-27 school year. At the end of January, 28 elementary school students from RFSD were selected to perform in the All-State Elementary Choir at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. This is the largest number of students ever selected from a single district in the history of the choir.
The next RFSD board of education regular meeting takes place on March 11 at 6:15pm in the Colorado Room of the District Office, 400 Sopris Avenue, Carbondale. RFSD board meeting agendas are available on the board website. Meetings are live streamed on YouTube and recordings become available soon after.