Turnaround election for school districts

Tuesday’s election saw voters in 29 Colorado school districts approve 34 bond issues and operating revenue increases – plus one sales tax hike – worth just over $1 billion.

The 38 proposals on this year’s ballots totaled about $1.03 billion; the total approved was about $1.01 billion.

Only two small districts, Cheyenne Re-5 on the eastern plains and West End near the Utah border, were shut out. In West End, 75 percent of voters were in the no column. Meanwhile, voters in the Gilcrest district of Weld County rejected a bond issue but approved an operating increase.

Of the 35 total proposals that passed, 15 were approved with yes votes of 60 percent or more. The biggest margin was in Telluride, where 86 percent of voters supported an operating increase. Proposals in two districts, Bayfield and Plateau Valley, squeaked by with 51 percent yes to 49 percent no.

The results represented a dramatic turnaround from the 2011 election, one of the worst in recent memory for schools. Voters approved only $73 million of the more than $560 million in bonds and operating increases proposed in 2011.

Jane Urschel, deputy executive director of the Colorado Association of School Boards, said she feels the slowly improving economy was “a pretty big reason” for what happened on Tuesday. “Last year, we were closer to the crash,” she said. “People have had a year to look at some recovery.”

Urschel also speculated that voters “maybe paid attention to the cuts their districts had to impose” in recent years and were supportive of the need to restore some funding. Most districts are planning to use operating increases to restore budget cuts or avoid future ones.

She said most districts were very careful this year to get community input on the proposals, noting, “They were guided by their communities from the outset.” Urschel also said voters in districts that sought bonds to match state construction funds may have been attracted by the prospect of leveraging their local tax dollars.

Kerrie Dallman, president of the Colorado Education Association, praised the re-election of President Obama and also said, “The president’s priorities were echoed across Colorado in dozens of local elections in which voters soundly rejected calls to accept low levels of education funding, and instead made the choice to restore investment to an outstanding, yet financially-drained public school system.”

The bulk of the $1.01 billion is accounted for by the total $664 million requested by Denver Public Schools and Jeffco Public Schools, the state’s two largest school districts. Both districts requested bond issues and operating revenue increases.

Cherry Creek district voters also approved a bond issue and an operating increase.

“We are very grateful that the community recognized the need to provide resources to continue our mission of excellence for all students,” board President Jennifer Churchfield said. “As we have in the past, we will keep our promise to provide the best educational opportunities for the children in this district.”

(See this story for election night reaction to the DPS vote, and this one for comments on the votes in Jefferson County and other larger districts.)

Who passed what

Support for district tax measures spanned the state and was seen in districts both large and small.

Districts that passed both bond issues and operating increases

  • Bayfield – $11.9 million bond, $1.2 million operating
  • Buena Vista – $4.4 million to match state construction funds, $900,000 operating
  • Cherry Creek – $125 million bond, $25 million operating
  • Denver – $466 million bond, $49 million operating
  • Fort Lupton – $11.7 million bond ($5.1 million to match a state grant), $1.4 million operating
  • Jefferson – $99 million bond, $39 million operating

Voters in Gilcrest narrowly defeated a $9.9 million bond but approved a $1.8 million operating increase.

Other bond issues that passed

  • Alamosa – $4.9 million
  • Pueblo 70 – $59.9 million

Other operating increases that passed

  • Aurora – $15 million
  • Briggsdale – $195,000
  • Del Norte – $832,600
  • Mancos – $276,000
  • Plateau Valley – $350,000
  • Stratton – $119,200
  • Telluride – $800,000
  • St. Vrain – $14.8 million

The Cheyenne County District Re-5 lost a proposed $200,000 operating increase with more than 60 percent voting no.

Others passing bond issues to match state grants

The state’s competitive Building Excellent Schools Today program provides grants to districts for school construction and renovation, but in most cases local matches are required. These districts raised their matches.

  • Dolores – $3.5 million
  • Elbert 200 – $2.9 million
  • Genoa-Hugo – $6.6 million
  • Greeley – $8.2 million
  • Hi Plains – $2.8 million
  • Lake County – $11.4 million
  • Montezuma-Cortez – $21 million
  • Otis – $2.8 million
  • Platte Valley – $5.7 million
  • Salida – $9.6 million bond
  • Sheridan – $6.5 million

Greeley and Salida were chosen as alternate BEST winners in case any finalists lost their bond elections and forfeited their state grants. Denver actually is an alternate as well – a small part of its bond issue is a match for a state grant to renovate South High School.

The state Capital Construction Assistance Board is scheduled to meet Monday to decide how to handle the alternates, given that West End has forfeited its $12.5 million state grant by failing to pass its $9.4 million match.

And one successful sales tax increase

Aspen voters approved a city sales tax increase that will generate about $1.75 million a year to the Aspen school district.