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A $73 million tax increase to benefit Jeffco Public Schools was failing by just three votes as of Friday, a razor-thin margin in a high-stakes election for a cash-strapped district.
Ballot Issue 5A was one of two measures that would have raised a combined $133 million for Jeffco, Colorado’s second-largest district. Both measures have been failing since election officials began tallying votes Tuesday night. But while the margin for Ballot Issue 5B has remained sizable, the margin for 5A had narrowed significantly by Thursday evening.
Jeffco Public Schools spans two counties: Jefferson and Broomfield. The clerks in both counties said Friday that they had finished counting all of the ballots in their possession. But military and overseas voters have until Nov. 12 to return their ballots. Voters who need to correct ballot errors, a process called curing, also have until Nov. 12.
Under state law, a vote recount is triggered if the margin between passing and failing is one half of one percent or less. Any recount would need to be completed before Dec. 4, according to a spokesperson for the Jefferson County clerk and recorder’s office.
Jeffco Public Schools leaders had acknowledged that both measures were likely to fail in a statement Wednesday evening, after they said a majority of votes had been tallied. Without the additional funding, the leaders said Jeffco will face tough decisions
“Additional budget reductions will be necessary,” interim Superintendent Rob Stein and school board President Michelle Applegate said in the statement.
District leaders previously said that if the measures failed, Jeffco could face more school closures, staff layoffs, or salary freezes.
A district spokesperson said Stein and Applegate had no further comment Friday.
Ballot Issue 5A would raise $73 million. Most of the money would fund already-promised and future pay increases for teachers, principals, and school support staff. It would also fund more career and technical education classes for students.
Ballot Issue 5B would raise $60 million for building maintenance projects, such as repairing parking lots, replacing leaky roofs, and improving school security systems.
A proportional share of the money — $8.5 million of 5A and $7 million of 5B — would go toward the school district’s publicly funded but independently run charter schools, per state law.
Ballot Issues 5A and 5B are what’s known as mill levy overrides, a common way for districts to supplement state funding. Jefferson County voters last passed one in 2018 for $33 million.
If 5A and 5B pass, property taxes would increase by about $42 per year on every $100,000 of a home’s value. For a $650,000 home, that would amount to $273 per year. The mill levy overrides would not expire. They would continue in perpetuity.
Jeffco Public Schools officials say the district faces financial pressure due to declining enrollment, and it needs the money to stave off budget cuts and school closures. Opponents say taxes are high enough, and that fewer students means the district needs less money.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
