Re-2 District Seeks Ballot Approval for Teacher Pay and Early Care

Glenwood Springs —“Colorado has been under total Democratic control since 2019.”

That’s the hook. It’s blunt, it’s political, and it sets the stage for a letter to the editor that Post Independent published this week. The writer argues that if you think things are “just fine” in the state, you’re missing the point. For context, the author contends the letter was originally submitted a month ago but held back because the editor couldn’t verify the sources — or, as the writer suggests, because it contradicted the paper’s “far-left socialist Democratic Party line.”

Let’s do the math on the claims made in that letter, which cite the Colorado Chamber of Commerce:

• Cost of Living: Colorado is now the third-most expensive state in the nation.
• Regulatory Burden: We rank sixth-worst in the country for regulation.
• Red Tape: There are more than 205,000 state-level regulatory restrictions, with 45% deemed excessive or duplicative.
• Budget Gap: The state is facing a roughly $1.5 billion budget shortfall for 2026.

While that letter focuses on statewide politics, the Post Independent’s Tuesday letters also dug into local issues that hit closer to home for folks in Garfield County. One of the biggest topics was the Re-2 School District’s push for ballot measures 4A and 4B. Mely Irigoyen and Hanna Arauza, co-chairs of the Garfield Re-2 District Accountability Committee, wrote in to strongly endorse both measures.

On paper, the district argues that transparency was the starting point. They facilitated monthly public meetings starting in late 2025 to keep staff, parents, and stakeholders informed on the budget and state funding. In practice, the committee says this momentum built behind three specific priorities: recruiting and retaining great teachers, offering high-quality early child care close to home, and preparing high school students for diverse careers.

Measure 4A is a mill levy override designed to address the fact that starting teacher pay in Re-2 is the lowest in the region. The goal is to pay the whole staff more competitive wages so they can build stable lives where they work. Measure 4B is a bond reauthorization that will fund the construction of an early childhood center, upgrade or build new learning facilities for career pathways at both high schools, and construct staff housing — a first for the district.

Beyond the school vote, the letters touched on the ongoing debate over fire taxes and press freedom. The fire tax issue is particularly sensitive for locals because it directly impacts property owners’ annual bills. With the state facing that $1.5 billion shortfall, pressure on local services is likely to increase, making the decision on how to fund emergency response a critical one for the community.

The practical bottom line for neighbors in the valley is simple: you have a choice. You can either accept the status quo of rising costs and regulatory bloat, or you can vote to fix the specific problems identified by your own community leaders. Whether it’s supporting the Re-2 district to keep good teachers in the classroom or challenging the state’s spending habits, the power is in your hands. Vote yes on 4A and 4B, and pay attention to the bigger picture.