Roaring Fork staff IBB teams report progress; board approves health‑insurance recommendation amid concerns over rising costs

Classified, certified and administrative interest‑based bargaining (IBB) representatives told the Roaring Fork School District No. Re‑1 board on Tuesday that IBB participation this year produced operational recommendations on salaries, guest‑teacher supports, staff roles and health insurance. The board approved the health‑insurance advisory committee’s benefits recommendation in a separate vote.

Classified IBB representative Christy Helms said the classified team focused on salaries, communication, engagement and health insurance and built a formal foundation for continued classified representation. Certified representatives (including Naina Asher and Autumn Rivera) said their team worked on continuity of learning, salary schedule preservation (steps and lanes) and guest‑teacher systems; certified IBB recommended a standardized substitute lesson‑plan template and recruitment tools.

Administrative representative Heather (building‑leader ACES team) described work clarifying leader responsibilities and a stipend framework for added duties, scheduling that protects instructional time, and participation on the health‑insurance advisory committee.

Health insurance: board approves advisory committee recommendation

Board members debated the district’s final benefits recommendation before voting to approve it. The committee’s work retained a $0‑premium plan option for employees, kept a copay structure, and recommended employer/employee contribution levels the board approved. Board members and IBB representatives acknowledged the result was not ideal for some employees: representatives described teachers whose overall compensation would be effectively reduced by higher out‑of‑pocket costs and said some employees have already left the district citing benefit affordability.

Autumn Rivera and other staff leaders described the outcome as “a roller coaster” but said the district was able to preserve a $0 option and avoid the worst‑case scenario they had anticipated a month earlier. Board members urged continued advocacy at the state level and early, ongoing engagement with staff about future cost‑sharing possibilities.

Board vote: The board approved the health‑insurance advisory committee final benefits recommendation (motion recorded and carried). The vote was recorded as unanimous among the five board members present.

Context and next steps

District leaders said the IBB structure expanded this year beyond certified staff to classified and administrative groups, and that new decision points and timelines created overlap that the district must clarify next year. Leaders also said declining enrollment and changing school‑finance formulas have made prior compensation formulas less applicable and that a joint committee will work over the summer to recommend longer‑term compensation and benefit models for a declining‑enrollment context.

Ending: District leaders said staff engagement will continue through the IBB leadership teams and the district will bring recommended employer/employee contribution levels, cost assumptions and further implementation details to the board if additional budget capacity or legislative changes allow adjustments.