Providing affordable staff housing is a big priority for Aspen School District Board of Education candidates Cassie Harrelson, Sarah Daniels, Sally Goulet, and incumbent Katy Frisch.
At last week’s forum, most of the four candidates supported the district’s current goal to provide up to 100% housing for in the next 15 years.
The district owns 102 housing units for its staff and teachers, and it employs 280 people.
Frisch, the lone incumbent candidate, said she’d like the board to start taking a different approach.
“I feel a little bad that we've been a little selfish at the school district in acquiring units that, you know, are taken away from other employees in the valley,” Frisch said. “We do have a responsibility to the district to make sure we house our teachers and other staff, but I would like to see some greenfield projects where we're starting to add to that inventory.”
The school district purchased 18 housing units in Snowmass Village in April, which forced many of the current residents to find new housing by the end of this year.
Harrelson, a former teacher in Aspen who lived in school district housing, says an increased housing inventory is important, but it’s not the only thing the district needs to retain its teachers.
“Please keep in mind that it is not just about housing that gets people to want to stay here,” Harrelson said. “We do have educators that have left our system that did have housing.”
In a phone call with Aspen Public Radio, Harrelson said giving teachers more opportunities to voice their opinions and grow professionally should be a part of the district’s retention strategy.
She knows Aspen teachers who have gone to work for neighboring districts where they felt there were more opportunities to weigh in on what was going on in their classrooms.
She also believes that the district should share its process for placing teachers in its housing units with the public.
“I do see not only a need to grow housing, but also to look at our process of how we are allocating housing and make sure that is transparent,” Harrelson said. “Who does it go to when? How are we putting teachers together, support staff together? Who's prioritized?”
Pitkin County is scheduled to mail ballots out on Oct. 16, and voters can turn them in at local drop boxes at the Pitkin County administration building, Snowmass Town Hall, and Basalt Town Hall, or vote in-person between Oct. 30 and election day, Nov. 7.
See Aspen Public Radio’s Voter Guide for more information.
