Special to the Daily
School bus drivers are the first district employees to greet students in the morning and the last to say goodbye. However, after battling a bus driver shortage for most of the year, students may be greeted by their bus driver at a different time next year.
Currently, the district has 18 drivers on staff but requires a team of 35 to effectively serve the needs of its students. And while Eagle County Schools has implemented a number of recruiting and retaining efforts including adding a hiring and retention bonus and making increases to the base salary it is still having a difficult time filling these positions.
Eagle County Schools, Special to the Daily
On May 12, Eagle County Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the latest agreement between the district and its teachers’ union. This is the second and final phase of negotiations between the two parties as the school year comes to a close.
The first attempt at an agreement was struck down in March because the board felt it didn’t equally invest funds in both staffing and compensation. This agreement, however, according to both Superintendent Philip Qualman and Eagle County Education Association President Karen Kolibaba, strikes that balance well.
“We appreciate how the board has been focused on providing both a competitive salary to recruit and retain the highest quality educators for Eagle County students as well as a commitment to providing adequate staffing to meet the needs of their students through quality instruction in both content area courses and electives/specials classes,” Kolibaba said.
5 years ago
Week of May 5, 2016
The Denver Broncos announced their Mile High Salute to the Fans Tour a victory lap following the team’s win in Super Bowl 50 would stop in Eagle on May 13.
Mike Gibbs was named president and general manager of the Frost Creek development south of Eagle.
The Vail Valley Mountain Bike Association launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to assist the U.S. Forest Service with trail maintenance costs.
10 years ago
Week of May 5, 2011
The Western Eagle County Metropolitan Recreation District and the town of Gypsum agreed to team up on operations of the Gypsum Creek Golf Course clubhouse pool.
Wendy Rimel, left, and Heidi Trueblood pack gift bags for Eagle County Schools employees in December. The Education Foundation of Eagle County delivered a gift bag to every school district employee, to show appreciation and give thanks for their hard work to keep students learning and students and teachers safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
Special to the Daily
Eagle County School district and its teachers’ union reached an agreement after months of tense negotiations. The teachers union has been fighting for an increase in staff salaries while the school board has been seeking funding for additional staff.
“It’s a long process and it’s been a bit of a rocky one this year,” said Kate Cocchiarella, president of the Eagle County school board. “We’re all on the same team. What we want is what’s best for the students and what’s best for the students is having high-qualified teachers who are happy in their jobs and in the classrooms.”
Special to the Daily
Melisa Rewold-Thuon, assistant superintendent for Eagle County Schools, remembers spending her birthday at the emergency school board meeting. “It’s a birthday I will always remember,” she said of March 13, 2020.
. It would close 17 schools and switch to remote learning for three weeks starting Tuesday, just three days later.
The news that kids would be learning from home because of the rapidly-evolving pandemic, exactly one week after Eagle County’s first confirmed coronavirus infection, reverberated throughout the county’s households and businesses.
“I was hoping for the best, but also worrying, what if we have a huge outbreak?” Rewold-Thuon said of the uncertain weeks leading up to the district’s announcement, when the shadow of the pandemic spread and darkened, but had not yet upended life. “I do remember thinking, ‘This is not going to be good, I have a feeling,’” Rewold-Thuon said.