The November election is shaping up as the biggest in Colorado history for school district bond and tax override proposals.
A preliminary list compiled last month by the Colorado School Finance Project comes to nearly $4 billion in possible bond measures and property tax overrides.
If all the districts listed take the plunge, the 2016 ballot ask by districts would blow way past 2014, when districts sought about $1.5 billion in bond issues
That record already has been broken by the $1.75 billion in proposals that officially have been put on ballots by just four major districts – Aurora, Cherry Creek, Denver and Jeffco.
And another $1.3 billion worth of proposals are under review in five other big districts, Adams 12-Five Star, Colorado Springs District 11, Poudre, St. Vrain and Thompson. Even the Dougco board has been talking about going to the voters in November.
Because of state deadlines for setting ballot content, school boards that still are on the fence will have to make up their minds this month.
Boulder Valley is the only one of the state’s 10 largest districts not floating a bond measure. Voters there approved a $576 million issue in 2014. But the board is talking about a small override proposal.
The finance project’s July list reported that about 30 districts were considering tax elections, including some 30 bond issues and more than 20 tax overrides. Several of the bond plans propose building new schools, and a lot of the override measures would be used to raise teacher salaries or reduce class sizes.
Some districts’ plans wouldn’t raise current property tax rates but merely extend the terms of current levies.
Property taxes raised by bond issues are used to repay the bonds issued for building construction and renovation. Revenue from mill levy overrides can be used in lots of ways, including for operating expenses like teacher salaries.
Because of tight state funding in recent years, districts with sufficient property values and sympathetic voters have increasingly used overrides to soften the impact of the state negative factor. That has widened the funding gap between those districts and others that haven’t been able to raise local taxes.
School districts often set tax votes for elections in even-numbered years – especially presidential years – because turnout is higher. Tax votes in odd-numbered years can be riskier because turnout often is dominated by older, more tax-averse voters.
The last several elections have produced mixed results for districts. About half of bond and override proposals passed in 2015, 2014 and 2013. The brightest year for schools was 2012, when voters in 29 districts approved 34 bond issues and operating revenue increases – plus one sales tax hike – worth just over $1 billion. Districts put 38 proposals worth about $1.03 billion on the ballot.
Board members and administrators probably are relieved that they won’t face competition this year from a statewide ballot measure that would have allowed the state to keep surplus revenues, some of which would have gone to schools. Backers of that plan recently pulled it from consideration.