Wednesday letters: Fiscally irresponsible commissioners, and honoring school workers
Fiscally irresponsible
Approximately three years ago, I personally emailed every mayor and councilman/trustee in the six municipalities of Garfield County (Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Silt, Rifle and Parachute), and declared that Garfield County commissioners Mike Samson, John Martin and Tom Jankovsky are fiscally reckless with the county’s money, and the three RINOs are operating the county’s capital flows quite similar to how Detroit and Venezuela operated before their demise, including the featherbedding of Garfield County employees.
Accordingly, because of the Biden administration’s Green New Deal, I am more convinced than ever, if Garfield County is to rebuild its local economy, Samson, Martin and Jankovsky must be recalled forthwith.
I am also convinced the two commissioner candidates the Democrat Party nominated in the 2020 Garfield County commissioners race are not up to the task of managing the county in the transition to a low-carbon world.
Carl L. McWilliams
Glenwood Springs
Honor school workers
The Roaring Fork Schools are recognizing May as Staff Appreciation Month. As we celebrate end-of-year achievements for our students and schools, we want to recognize the heroic teachers and staff members who make those successes possible. While we have worked hard over many years to build a world-class school district, nothing makes a bigger difference than the people who work with your children in the classroom, on the playing fields, in the cafeteria and on the school bus.
This year, more than at any other time in recent history, the people who work in our schools have stepped up, taken personal risks, learned new skills, managed health and safety concerns, and made strides in student learning. Every time I read a newspaper headline about “lost learning” in other parts of the country, I feel gratitude for the teachers and staff members who helped our students learn many new skills, knowledge, resilience, perseverance and empathy.
Let’s also remember that our teachers and staff members struggle to afford to live and work in our community. While our school district has the third highest cost of living in Colorado, our per-pupil funding ranks 60th. Due to tight fiscal management, we are able to pay our teachers the 37th highest wages in the state, but that’s not enough. So in addition to sharing gratitude for the people who work with your children, please consider that the time has come for us as a community to step up in the voting booth to contribute to a local solution to the pending wage crisis in our schools.
Now, more than ever, we appreciate every staff member for making a difference for our students and communities. Personally, and on behalf of the board of education and leadership team of the school district, I want to thank all staff members for making the Roaring Fork Schools a great place to learn.
Rob Stein
superintendent of Roaring Fork Schools
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