LOVELAND, Colo. — This November, registered Loveland voters will see a new bond measure on their ballots.
The Thompson School District is asking for funding to upgrade schools within the district through a $99 million bond measure. This comes after voters approved a $149 million-dollar bond in 2018.
“The reality is, the majority of our facilities, many of our facilities, are continuing to age, continuing to need additional critical maintenance, critical infrastructure,” Thompson School District Superintendent Dr. Bret Heller said. “A year from now, we likely would be coming back out and asking to do this again, to continue to try to take care of these needs."
Lori Hvizda Ward, a former school board member who now serves on the committee working to get this bond passed, explained the need for this bond, just seven years after the $149 million bond was approved.
"Even in seven or eight years, things wear out. And you know where seven years ago, the roof at Loveland High School, perhaps wasn't leaking where it is now. Now it is leaking," Hvizda Ward said. "These things continue to be needs in school districts where there's lots of buildings, lots of heavy use."
Both bonds were introduced with the goal of providing improvements and support to schools. Though the two bonds are similar, there is one significant difference for taxpayers. The proposed 2025 bond will not increase taxes.
“If we take all of our critical all of our maintenance facility needs across all 31 of our of our schools and all of our other facilities, the actual number for Thompson School District is about $735 million in actual capital maintenance needs,” Heller said. “What we're doing with this particular bond measure for November's ballot is a $99 million bond, because we have a specific amount of debt that is falling off of our books that we no longer have, and that $99 million number is a number that we were comfortable with that would not cause an increase to the tax rate for our taxpayers.”
The district outlines three categories for where the funding will go, including critical needs like ADA improvements and repairs, supporting future growth for schools, and safety and security.
Heller said every school will get some of the funding, some getting larger portions based on their needs.
“Obviously, we have some schools that are relatively new, that don't have as much in terms of needs, so their slice of the 99 million is lower,” Heller said. “Then you have some schools, like the two schools in birthed because of their capacity issues, are going to need to take a larger slice of that pie.”
Hvizda Ward said this bond is an investment in the district's children and their education.
“They're our future,” she said. “They're what's going to help down the road. They're going to help bring more economic stability to the county or to the school district area, to Loveland, and more prosperity if they're well educated in this, this will help.”
She emphasized the need for this bond citing maintenance upgrades and expected growth in schools.
“There's leaking roofs, there's HVAC systems, floors, things like that. That just like when you own a house, you know, every 20 years or so, you need a new roof. Well, that's kind of where we are with some things in the district,” Hvizda Ward said. “We have a significant amount of growth in the Berthoud area, and those elementary schools down there are bursting at the seams.”
If the bond does pass, the rate taxpayers are paying right now won’t change. If it doesn’t pass, taxpayers could see a reduction in tax rate.
“If it doesn't pass, then that will drop off that $10 or $9.50,” Hvizda Ward said, but people are already paying this.
"Taxes would probably go down for folks if this doesn't pass, but the needs will still exist," Heller said.
Hvizda Ward added that there is no organized opposition to this bond measure. However, Heller said there's “always people that are against taxes in any form.”
Hvizda Ward is “100%” confident this bond will pass, saying the community supports schools and says the fact that it isn’t costing anyone extra is a “good selling point.”
