Roaring Fork School District Board of Education candidates are grappling with how to keep teachers working for the district.
Despite a mill levy override that voters passed in 2021 to increase starting teacher pay, teacher retention remains a challenge.
As of Oct. 24, there were 57 open job positions listed on the Roaring Fork School District’s career page. Over half of the listings were for teaching or support staff roles.
Incumbent Jasmin Ramirez, who is running unopposed in Director District D, said increasing teacher pay and benefits requires political advocacy and community partnerships.
“This takes a lot of patience,” Ramirez said during a candidate forum in Basalt on Oct. 17. “It takes a lot of creativity. It takes a lot of community, and that includes working and collaborating with our councils and our commissioners and our leadership at the state level and our leadership at the Capitol.”
She also noted that the majority of district funds already go to teachers, and the board needs more creative ways to attract and keep educators in the district besides increasing salaries.
Candidate Betsy After is running for an open seat in Director District B against Alan Kokish. She said finding opportunities to alleviate some of the pressures of the job would be a good place to start.
“[Teachers] report that they don't have enough time in their day to do their work,” After said. “And so some of the ways that you could alleviate that … are going to be to increase the number of substitutes, for example, so that teachers are able to take days off when they need them. They would not expect teachers to cover for their colleagues during their planning periods.”
Kokish questioned whether the district is acknowledging teachers’ hard work and making them feel valued.
“If you can, make every effort to pay people more,” Kokish said. “And I'm not sure how this happens, but a nice ‘attaboy’ or a pat on the back goes a long way sometimes, though I'm not sure if we're doing that enough.”
Candidate Lindsay DeFrates is running for the open seat in Director District C against Phillip Bogart. DeFrates said that she has seen many qualified teachers leave the profession because the workload is unsustainable.
“Sometimes it can feel a bit like death by a thousand cuts,” DeFrates said. “There's just one more thing you have to do. There’s just one less paraprofessional support. There's just one more field trip that you're planning on the weekends … It is not an unusual thing. It is just the norm.”
DeFrates added that realistic solutions include boosting the district’s housing stock and inviting teachers into the boardroom.
“When we change policies at the district level that affect a professional’s ability to do their job or use the resources they were promised, they need to be in the room for that conversation,” DeFrates said. “And looking at a way to have a collective bargaining conversation with our teachers is also very important to me and making sure we hire adequate support staff.”
Bogart spoke about his managerial work in the private sector, saying he could help maintain a strong workforce. He wondered what other perks the district could provide teachers that are unique to the Roaring Fork Valley.
“Can we give ski passes?” Bogart asked. “Are there rafting opportunities in the summertime that they can participate in and we can pay for? What other ways outside of salary increases can we make additional value opportunities for people in this valley?”
A few days after the Oct. 17 candidate forum, the district office announced the current board is finalizing a resignation agreement with its superintendent, Dr. Jesus Rodriguez, on Oct. 25.
Therefore, the winners of the 2023 Roaring Fork School District board election will be expected to participate in a new superintendent search and hiring process.
Election Day is Nov. 7. All registered voters in the Roaring Fork School District can vote in each director district race, regardless of their address.
Find more information about the election in Aspen Public Radio’s voter guide.
