On June 26, the Roaring Fork School District approved its $83.3 million budget for the 2024-2025 school year, a few days before Dr. Anna Cole stepped into her official role as superintendent. She had been serving in the position in an interim capacity since October.
The majority of funds were dedicated to staff salaries and benefits, but about $5.5 million was set aside for other expenses.
Most of it was dedicated to a 6.25% raise for school district staff, which accounts for $3.9 million. The executive team received a 5.25% pay bump.
Other investments include $211,000 toward staff support for newly immigrated students.
From April 2023 to April 2024, the school district enrolled 178 students who had arrived in the U.S. within the past 12 months.
The district says depending on which schools these new staff members work at, and those students’ needs, this money could hire paraprofessionals or fully certified teachers to support the newly immigrated students.
Another $200,000 will go toward supporting existing mental health programs, which includes staffing school-based clinicians.
Administrators are looking for new and diverse ways to fund these programs in the future, including asking for supplemental funding from local municipal governments.
Another $145,000 of the budget will go toward a review of the district’s special education programs and an equity audit, both of which are scheduled to be completed this year.