Two Rivers Community School to join Roaring Fork School District

On Jan. 12, the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the Two Rivers Community School’s (TRCS) application for district authorization, moving them one step closer to becoming an RFSD-member school.

TRCS opened in 2014 in Glenwood Springs as a K-8 charter school operating under the Colorado Charter School Institute’s authorization.

As an RFSD-member school, the district would have oversight responsibility, which includes control over student enrollment. TRCS would be eligible for its share of the mill levy dollars, including override funding approved by voters in November 2021.

In an RFSD press release, TRCS Head of School Jamie Nims said, “TRCS is thrilled with the board’s vote to approve our application for district authorization. This vote sets the stage for expanded collaboration and communication between our organizations for the benefit of the entire community. Additionally, this will undoubtedly allow us to better serve our families by significantly improving student resources, while also allowing us to provide our staff with a much-needed pay increase.”

With the application approval, the district and school now have 90 days to negotiate a contract.

In the same press release, RFSD Superintendent Rob Stein stated, “I look forward to working more closely with Jamie and his team. TRCS students are our children, and we look forward to supporting their well-being and educational development as they join the Roaring Fork Schools.”

In other news…

Another item discussed at the Jan. 7 meeting was updating protocols for winter sports in relation to spectators. Specifically, problems have arisen with visiting spectators, most of them adults, Stein noted, to a level that “has become untenable for our staff” who are supervising athletic events.

The updated protocols include:

• Visitors who are not wearing masks or wearing them improperly will be reminded once before being asked to leave the gym. If they refuse, they will be reported for trespassing. 

• If spectators create a disturbance or refuse to abide by safety protocols, games will be paused until those spectators have left the gym.

• If spectators from visiting schools repeatedly violate safety protocols or are uncooperative with game supervisors, spectators from that visiting school will lose the privilege of attending games for the remainder of the season.

Additionally, the town of Basalt reached out to RFSD to collaborate on a “green” solar project, in conjunction with the “Basalt Forward 2030” capital improvement bond initiative approved by voters in November 2021.

The Board unanimously approved a non-committal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between RFSD and the town of Basalt. The MOU states RFSD would provide one or more site locations for solar, and Basalt would provide funding for development and construction.Both parties would agree to partner with Holy Cross Energy (HCE), which would entitle the town to either HCE paybacks or credits for energy generated by the project.

In closing, RFSD Public Information Officer Kelsy Been noted that January is School Board Recognition Month — a reminder for all of us to recognize and give thanks to school board members for the time and talents they give in service to our community.