During the regularly scheduled Feb. 6 Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) Board of Education meeting, a resolution was unanimously passed to purchase a home for future superintendents.

The $1.226 million single-family, end-unit townhome is located in the Crystal Bluffs area of Carbondale’s River Valley Ranch and was built in 2001. The 3-bedroom, 2-bath home is 1,900 square feet on a lot that measures 2,178 square feet, according to the Zillow real estate listing. The closing is scheduled for Feb. 20.

In a Feb. 7 RFSD press release, Board President Kathryn Kuhlenberg stated, “After two years of consideration, and with extensive input from stakeholders throughout the District, including the unanimous recommendations of the Superintendent Housing Task Force, we consider it paramount that we resolve the issue around leadership housing.”

The press release also states the property meets district affordability criteria as the purchase price is below Carbondale’s current median sale price of $1.7 million.

“The Board recognizes that our educators and staff continue to struggle to attain local housing and that it is perhaps the greatest challenge to staff retention,” the press release continued. 

The district has invested over $45 million in staff housing, RFSD continues to explore solutions, including participating in regional housing coalition solutions, additional housing construction like Meadowood, pathways to homeownership, considering equity investment opportunities and possibly negotiating property purchases.

While acknowledging that housing is an ongoing issue for all district employees, the board hopes purchasing a home will help attract and retain future superintendents.

School safety and security forums

During the Feb. 6 board meeting, Interim Superintendent Dr. Anna Cole announced plans for community-based school safety and security forums that will be held on Feb. 26, 27 and 28.

The forums will address topics ranging from secure entrances to crisis communication protocols, bullying prevention and school-based mental health support. Additionally, partnerships with school resource officers and police departments will be discussed.

The forums aim to outline a vision for school safety while gathering input on current and proposed strategies. “The leading question(s) we’re hoping folks will turn out for is, ‘Do you feel safe at school? What helps you feel safe at school? What do we need to prioritize and invest in terms of meaningful strategies?’” Cole shared.

Board Director Betsy After, addressing Cole, shared that in school safety conversations with elementary school parents she learned, “They think about something very different than drug and alcohol [use]; they’re thinking about school shootings,” she explained. “As scary as that is to even talk about out loud, I hope you are thinking about that too because there’ll be a desire from some parents [to address] that topic.”

Cole confirmed that all forums will include discussions regarding school lockdown protocols and bullying prevention education.

Superintendent search
Applications for the open RFSD superintendent position closed on Feb. 10. The board convened at district offices in Carbondale at 6pm on Feb. 13 to review applications from superintendent candidates who have yet to advance to the finalist stage. After establishing a quorum and adopting the agenda, the board met in an executive session for about 90 minutes before adjourning.