Who runs Roaring Fork schools and how are they funded?
Formula-funded district seeking more local money for teacher pay
Roaring Fork School District Re-1 serves Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Basalt and nearby areas with a five-member elected Board of Education, one director per district area. State funding follows a formula rewritten in 2024; speakers said it sends the district a smaller share than before, so the board asked voters for a mill levy override.
Governance
Lindsay DeFrates is president and Kathryn Kuhlenberg is vice president. Jonathan Delk was appointed to the vacant District B seat in June 2026.
Override
The board voted 5-0 on Aug. 26 to send an override of up to about $5.6 million to the Nov. 3 ballot; news says it passed.
Pay
Speakers said average teacher pay is about $2,000 below the state average.
Charter schools
The board met in closed session on Feb. 11 about contracts with Carbondale Community School and Two Rivers Community School.
Agendas show what was planned; captions are auto-generated. Approved minutes, budget figures and policy texts were not collected.
Where the district stands
Mill levy override question on Nov. 3, 2026 ballot (up to)context
5,600,000 dollars
Carbondale Middle School HVAC contract amendmentverified
1,300,000 dollars
Board membersverified
5 members
Major projects
2026 mill levy override
approved by voters per news (unofficial)
The board unanimously placed a mill levy override on the Nov. 3 ballot to fund teacher pay and retention after an exploratory committee studied it from February to June.
Next: [object Object]
Exploratory committee update
Board approves ballot resolution 5-0
Election
Funding
Local property tax override (voter approved per news reports)
Carbondale Middle School HVAC upgrade
contract amendment on consent agenda
A design-build amendment for the upgrade was listed for approval on April 15.
Next: [object Object]
Progressive design-build contract introduced
$1.3M amendment on consent agenda
Funding
District capital funds
Cell phone policy (JICJ)
third read listed May 13
A new districtwide cell phone policy went through three readings in spring 2026; a regulation will set how it is carried out.
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Board discussion and public comment
Third/final read on consent agenda
Funding
Not stated
Local elections & school board members
Elections & votes
Board electionScheduled
Board of Education director elections
Roaring Fork School District Re-1
Colorado school board elections are coordinated elections held in odd-year Novembers; the next is Nov. 2, 2027. Which Roaring Fork seats are up was not stated in the collected records.
Mill levy override for teacher pay (up to about $5.6 million)
Roaring Fork School District Re-1 · $5,600,000
Voters decided whether to raise local property taxes by up to about $5.6 million a year, mainly for teacher compensation and retention. News coverage reports it passed.
Built from 26 meetings of the Board of Education and its committees (agendas from the district's Diligent Community portal, auto-captioned recordings from the district YouTube channel), Nov. 2025 to Nov. 2026.
Get alerts for Roaring Fork School District Re-1
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.