The review found companies being incorrectly billed for unemployment insurance and overlooked by the FAMLI program.

After rectifying this year’s multimillion-dollar deficit from unexpected insurance costs and other budgetary mistakes, Roaring Fork School District staff still have to account for declining enrollment and unpredictable government funding.

Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition is campaigning to establish a special tax district to support child care initiatives, which would impose a 0.25% sales tax between Aspen and Parachute. While Pitkin County commissioners recognized the need for additional child care resources, they had financial concerns and worried about the feasibility of passing a regional tax.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised he will be tough on immigration during his second term in office. Local schools worry immigration officials will start making arrests, performing searches, and conducting interviews with students on campuses.

Sean Tatro, a police officer with Glenwood Springs Police Department, was arrested and charged with Sex Assault, Menacing, Domestic Violence, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, among other allegations last spring. Tatro previously patrolled Roaring Fork School District schools in Glenwood Springs and was put on paid administrative leave after the arrest.

With over 2,000 of Mountain Family Health Centers’ patients losing Medicaid coverage over the past year, the nonprofit reportedly lost $1.5 million. To account for the deficit, patients at Basalt’s middle and high schools will transition to downtown Basalt’s hub site for ongoing care.

Classes in Career and Technical Education at the Aspen School District train students in skills relevant to today’s job market, such as STEM, aviation, and journalism. When rural schools overcome program challenges, CTE can also improve test scores and graduation rates.

The term “swatting” refers to unsubstantiated, anonymous threats that elicit a large law enforcement response. It’s happening more often across the country — and across the Western slope.

In rural areas, public schools are often the only education option. If families in Colorado, Kentucky or Nebraska are allowed to divert state funds to private education, rural communities stand to suffer the most.

At a “State of the Arts” panel last week, three midvalley teenagers spoke about the lack of performing arts in their public schools — as well as their determination to make theater happen.