The Jeffco school board will be voting Thursday on whether to put two property tax measures on the November ballot.
“School districts across Colorado and the country are under increasing financial pressure because funding has not kept pace with growing needs and costs,” the district told Denver7.
▶️ Denver7's Sophia Villalba breaks down what the measures mean for property owners, in the video player below.
The $133 million funding proposal under consideration includes two separate ballot measures: $73M General Purpose Mill Levy Override (MLO) and $60M Special Purpose MLO.
The $73 million MLO would go toward competitive teacher and staff compensation needed to attract and retain staff. It would also expand Career and Technical Education programming.
The $60 million MLO would go toward building updates and maintenance. That includes more efficient air conditioning in buildings, asbestos abatement and mitigation, clean and safe drinking water, safety investments such as secure access and infrastructure, replacing and updating aging infrastructure and technology, and maintenance of schools like roofs, plumbing and parking lots.
“The $133M funding package would bring Jeffco to the state average in per student funding,” the district said.
If the funding package is approved by voters, property owners would pay about $43 a year for every $100,000 of your home’s value.
“The general purpose MLO is for Jefferson County property owners. The Special Purpose MLO is for Jefferson and Broomfield County property owners,” district officials added.
The district also warns that without any additional funding, they could face immediate budgetary constraints that directly affect staff stability and student opportunities, including facility failures, further cuts to positions and programs, and limited growth in Career and Technical Education opportunities.
Some parents said their children’s schools have already felt the effects of budget cuts over the years including this year, when the district made $40 million in budget cuts.
“The $40 million budget cuts really hit our school. We had three counselors that were there helping. Coming into this year, we have one. There's a lot of questions with us parents like how are they going to deal when the number of kids with needs didn't change,” Jeffco Public Schools parent Devin Mills said.
Devin Mills, a Jeffco Public Schools parent, said parents at his children's schools have even stepped in to pay for some improvements themselves.
“Our buildings are a challenge. Their school was closed for several days two years ago due to lack of water. Our PTA put a whole school water filtration into our schools last year at $3,000 a year because the water was basically undrinkable. The PTA has paid for a Raptor security system for our school,” Mills added.
If approved by the school board Thursday night, voters will have the final say in November. The district said the money would first be included in next year’s school budget.
