Over the last few weeks, the Roaring Fork Schools Board of Directors completed the first of two school visits to each of the 14 schools the district serves.

During these visits, directors reviewed student achievement and growth data, school performance frameworks, and school improvement plans. We celebrated successes, learned about challenges, and discussed student and staff needs. We also visited classrooms. There, we observed advanced literature and composition classes where students gain college credit while in high school.

We visited “newcomer math” classes where newly immigrated students continue to learn math content in Spanish while building English-language skills. We spent time with kindergartners working on addition and 4th graders learning Colorado History. We observed middle school students prepare for debates on the merits (and demerits) of social media. We participated in student-staff-family panel discussions about what is working and not working in schools. We visited lunchrooms to see the impacts of the Healthy School Meals for All program which provides free lunch and breakfast to all students.

The visits are inspiring, dynamic, and complex. They are the result of incredible collaboration between dedicated teachers, staff, leaders, and partners. It takes a team. 

The Roaring Fork Schools is made up of education professionals, essential support staff, critical community partners, and dedicated leaders who work together with families to ensure students thrive. It is complicated, messy, brilliant work. Success comes as the result of dedicated people collaborating thoughtfully around a clear vision for student achievement and wellbeing. During this season of thanks, it is easy to find gratitude for the Roaring Fork School district teams who serve the valley’s children and families. In partnership with families, teams work together to solve difficult problems, implement complex solutions, and find better ways to support students. 

Also this season, our district teams are shouldering the weight of challenging financial issues related to health insurance, district budgeting, and declining enrollment. As the community is aware, we underestimated the true costs of a self-insurance health plan (implemented last school year). Paired with a delayed budget adoption process that missed critical expenditures, we currently estimate a $5 million to $7 million deficit for the 24/25 school year. Declining student enrollment further complicates this issue, resulting in reduced revenue.

Under the leadership of a new Chief Financial Officer our teams are working hard to understand the severity of the deficits and identify paths forward. We are examining budgetary practices to ensure errors and omissions do not happen again. Effective Jan. 1, 2024 we will return to a managed health insurance plan to mitigate risk and stabilize costs. We have leaned heavily on the collaborative practices our district teams know well to identify priorities, explore solutions, and propose next steps like the transition back to managed care. In December, we will propose revised budgets that address current deficits for Board approval. For 24/25, our priority is to ensure quality and continuity of services for students while limiting financial impacts for staff. 

Unfortunately, the solutions we’ll implement in 24/25 will not solve all our financial challenges. Increased health insurance costs (though no longer risky) will put significant pressure on our 25/26 budget. Additionally, declining enrollment trends will lead to declining revenue which makes sustaining current investment levels difficult. While projections are still in flux, our district anticipates we will have less to spend on behalf of our students next year.

In moments like these, we rely on our strengths: teaming, collaboration, and bringing multiple perspectives together around a shared vision and mission. Last year’s strategic planning process engaged a wide range of students, staff, families, and community members. The plan tasks the district to focus on five key priorities: Students First, Rigorous Instruction for All, Operational Excellence, Student-centered Partnerships, and Thriving Team. We will continue to keep these priorities centered as we tackle financial challenges. 

We are engaging with staff and school leaders regularly over the next few months, and listening to their direction on how to protect what matters most for their students. As the financial forecast becomes more clear and we are able to provide details about choices, we will need to hear from everyone involved. We will share opportunities with students, families, and community to communicate what matters most to them to support RFSD students. 

Our greatest successes are achieved through teamwork, collaboration, and partnership. As we respond to and anticipate significant financial challenges, we will rely on those strategies to navigate the rocky road ahead. And we’ll keep in our sights the commitment to ensure that all students develop the enduring knowledge, skills, and character to thrive in a changing world. 

Dr. Anna Cole is superintendent of the Roaring Fork District Schools in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt.