Support Tammy Nimmo in District A

I’m proud to support Tammy Nimmo for the Roaring Fork School District Board of Education, District A.

I’m a parent of a second grader in the district, and my family plans to stay in this valley and these schools for the long haul. I’m also friends with many teachers, and I see firsthand how hard they work and how much they give to our kids. I want a school board member who truly supports them, and I know that person is Tammy.

I’ve worked alongside Tammy on the Crystal River Elementary PTO, where she served as president, and I’ve seen her tireless commitment to our students, teachers and community. You can’t shake a stick in this town without finding a way Tammy has made a difference — as a substitute teacher for nearly a decade, a library staff member connecting families to resources, or a volunteer leading fundraisers that brought in more than $25,000 a year for our school.

Tammy’s priorities reflect what our district truly needs: closing the achievement gap and making teacher housing more affordable in a valley where the cost of living is pushing great educators away. She also supports Ballot Measure 7A, which would help fund early childhood education and expand the capacity of childcare and preschool facilities.

When our daughter was two years old, I honestly thought I’d have to quit my job since I couldn’t find a single preschool provider with space. From personal experience, I know this is essential — and I know Tammy will help bring it to fruition.

Unlike her opponent, Jodi Barr, who said during a recent candidate forum that arming teachers was the “cheapest way to protect our kids,” Tammy does not believe guns belong in our classrooms. She knows our schools need resources and relationships — not weapons.

Please join me in voting for Tammy Nimmo for school board District A.

Heather Balogh Rochfort, Carbondale

Vote yes on Ballot Measure 7A

Ballots dropped Friday, Oct. 10, for the Nov. 4 election. Pitkin, Garfield and southwestern Eagle County voters have the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of hard-working local families by voting yes on Ballot Measure 7A.

7A creates a special district government, separate from our local city and county governments and their politically driven funding priorities. Funded by a quarter of 1% sales tax (25 cents per $100 purchase), the new district will generate $10 million annually dedicated exclusively to early childhood education access and quality.

The new 7A special district cuts across the outdated political boundaries of our economic region from Aspen to western Garfield County. Directed by a five-member elected board, it provides tuition assistance to working families with young children struggling to make ends meet as they commute up and down the valley and pay an average of $17,000 per year per child for full-time early childhood education services.

7A helps licensed early childhood education providers through grants to expand capacity, improve services and hire and retain qualified teachers. Currently, only 44% of families with children under 6 years old seeking early childhood education in the proposed district are able to secure it through licensed care. There are not enough slots to meet the demand.

Investing in early childhood education also contributes greatly to our children’s cognitive, social and emotional development. Plus, working parents benefit from reliable and affordable care so they can pursue their professional goals during their children’s formative years.

As a member of the Early Childhood Network board, I understand the challenges faced by our region’s working families to find high-quality childcare. 7A is a family-friendly measure that addresses this key regional challenge.

Please see the full plan at cececoalition.org/our-plan, and please join me in voting yes on 7A on or before Nov. 4.

Paul Menter, Silt

Support for Megan Heil in Re-2

Vote Megan Heil for Re-2 School Board.

Our school board should reflect the values of the families it serves. Megan isn’t afraid to stand up for parental rights and ensure that families remain the primary authority in their children’s education. She believes in teaching strong fundamentals, promoting responsibility and keeping politics out of the classroom. I trust her to be a steady, conservative voice for our schools.

Rusty Wooten, New Castle

Save the White River National Forest

Should our beloved but flat-broke White River National Forest sell an asset worth more than half its annual budget or just give that asset away?

Retired White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams’ 2021 plan to effectively donate 832 acres surrounding Sweetwater Lake to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the creation of a state park might have made sense before the cuts to the WRNF budget. It also might have made sense before the $23.86 million Derby Fire burned 5,453 acres in the WRNF just one mile east of the lake.

However, the WRNF is now so destitute that even before the federal shutdown, visitor centers were closed, volunteers emptied latrines, and its maintenance budget for 2,800 miles of roads was bupkis — zero, zilch, nada. The nation’s most visited national forest is not in any position to make donations.

Gov. Jared Polis desires Sweetwater Lake for a state park, so a logical solution is for the WRNF to sell those 832 acres at fair market value. CPW is an enterprise agency and fiscally sound despite Colorado’s budget woes. Furthermore, the Trump administration has shown a willingness to divest federal lands, thereby creating a win-win.

Selling the Sweetwater Lake land requested by CPW should generate more than $13 million for the WRNF to fund operations or cover expenditures incurred fighting the Derby Fire. It would be a dereliction of duty for current WRNF Supervisor Brian Glaspell to execute this eight-figure donation as proposed by his predecessor.

Ken Wright, Gypsum