Oversight needed on school transportation

Choosing what school your child attends is a legal right in Colorado. Many people would like to read Garfield Re-2’s request for Two Rivers Community School to stop busing students across district lines as suppression of parents’ choice. The reality is more nuanced.

Colorado has many rules around school district boundaries, how parents can choose, and what happens when they do. These come from real situations — and when students cross district lines, it has tangible impacts on schools.

Having a wide range of choices in our valley is great. I have several friends who choose to have their children attend schools in Garfield Re-1. Some are the lucky ones in the lottery for Two Rivers’ dual-language program. Others find the five-day schedule works better for them.

This is all great for families and students. I’d encourage any parents who would like a three-day weekend every week to look at our amazing schools in Re-2. My family loves that our work and school structures align, allowing us to hit the mountains early and spend more time together without losing out on education.

What isn’t great is when public entities overstep their bounds and circumvent proper oversight. Re-2 has thrown the challenge flag — arguing that what Two Rivers is doing crosses a line. One school district transporting students from another district without collective oversight isn’t right, even if the school in question operates at arm’s length from its district.

While Re-2’s statements are legal in nature, everyone wants what’s best for students. I’m confident there will be an agreement between the relevant parties. I’m also confident we won’t have school buses transporting students from other districts without their respective oversight.

Daniel Adams, New Castle

Saving the historic greenhouse

Please help us save the historic greenhouse to become the artistic centerpiece of our future Riverside Botanical Gardens.

We’re diligently working on fundraising efforts to dismantle and relocate the greenhouse that was originally built as part of the Redstone Castle in 1903, also known as Cleveholm Manor. The structure was used to grow vegetables, fruits and exotics during the cold winter months.

It was sold by Lucille Osgood in 1938 and moved to West Glenwood in 1939. Several owners kept the greenhouse in working order over the past 86 years, including Floyd Chappel; Edna and Preston Halliburton; Lloyd and Dorthy White; Ed, Noemi and Scott Nieman; and Hugh and Molly MacPherson.

This treasured structure now needs a “new” forever home, and we want to honor its 122-year history and what it has meant to our entire valley. This effort will require substantial funding and a team of dedicated professionals and volunteers.

We’re excited to share our vision with the entire Roaring Fork community and will gladly give a presentation to any organization interested in helping with this project.

Please visit glenwoodspringsriversidebotanicalgardens.com for more information and to learn how you can help. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.

Laura Speck, Glenwood Springs Riverside Botanical Gardens Board of Directors, Glenwood Springs

Protecting access to school transportation

My name is Brenda Kaiser, and I’m a proud Two Rivers Community School parent, former community school coordinator and former TRCS board secretary. I’m writing out of deep concern for the future of our school’s independent transportation program — a lifeline for many local families.

Roughly 40% of TRCS’s 400 students live within the Garfield Re-2 district. For these families, mine included, transportation is not a luxury — it’s essential to maintaining school choice, stability and educational equity.

TRCS operates five days a week, unlike Re-2’s four-day schedule, which poses real challenges for working parents. Ending our routes would disrupt family routines, jeopardize learning and take away access to the education families have chosen.

Recently, Re-2 Superintendent Kirk Banghart sent TRCS a cease-and-desist letter prohibiting our buses from operating within the Re-2 district as of next year. This action would directly harm families who rely on this service to get their children to school safely and consistently.

My family has been part of the TRCS community for 12 years. We pay Re-2 taxes and made the choice that best fits our children’s needs. We carpooled the first year, then our children rode the independent TRCS bus donated by Club Rotario. Over the years, new buses have been purchased with TRCS funds — not Re-1 district money.

In Colorado, per-pupil funding follows the child, so Re-1 families aren’t paying for my children’s education. When transportation access is threatened, it becomes an equity issue. Families deserve the freedom to choose the school that best fits their child’s needs, and students deserve safe, dependable transportation to get there.

Brenda Kaiser, New Castle