When Our Schools Thrive, Our Communities Thrive

By Erin Kane, Superintendent, Douglas County School District

My Cabinet and I recently made a recommendation to the Douglas County School District (DCSD) Board of Education to place a $66 million Mill Levy Override and $484 million Bond on the November 2023 ballot. The following will provide you, our taxpayers who fund our schools, the rationale behind this recommendation. The Board of Education will ultimately decide whether or not to place these measures on the ballot at a meeting in August 2023.

Economic development, home values, and the future of our community depend on the quality of our schools. Thanks to the hard work of our teachers, staff and students, and our strong partnerships with our amazing families, we have many things to be proud of in our school district.

In order to ensure that we are able to continue to do great things for our students, it is critical that we pay more competitively to keep the amazing teachers and staff that make it all possible, expand Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming, enhance safety and security, and ensure that our kids and staff have access to safe, adequate, high-quality learning environments.

The State of Colorado sets the amount of total funding for each school district each year. That funding comes from a combination of local property tax dollars and state dollars. Like you, my husband and I recently received a letter from the county informing us that our home’s assessed value has risen significantly and so will our property taxes. While it is easy to assume that DCSD will benefit from additional property taxes, that is not the case. When local funding increases, the state simply contributes less.

Because other school districts in the Denver metro area have continuously passed voter-approved local measures to increase their funding, our school district now receives $2,000 less per student than Cherry Creek School District and Littleton Public Schools (equivalent to a gap of $130 Million per year). Even though our general administration spending is far less than our neighbors1, over the last 15 years it has become more and more challenging for us to pay our teachers and staff competitively.

Not only is our average teacher salary far below our neighbors, our starting teacher salary ($45,209) makes it nearly impossible for a new teacher to live in Douglas County. Our teachers and staff are the life-blood of our schools. Like many of us, they are raising families, putting kids through college, and navigating the ever increasing cost of living. Many of our teachers have second jobs so they can stay with us. It is getting harder for them to turn down a position for $15,000 to $20,000 more just across the county line. And it is not just our teachers - all of our professionals can make far more in another district and our critical support staff (education assistants, custodians, transportation staff, etc.) can make more at fast food restaurants. If we cannot turn around our inability to offer competitive wages to attract and retain staff, there will be a profound impact on the future of our schools and our community.

1Per Colorado Department of Education, Douglas County School District’s General Administration Spending Per Student is $63 vs. $149 in Littleton Public Schools and $189 in Denver Public Schools.

Additional funding via a potential Mill Levy Override (MLO) and Bond, which would cost an additional $20 per year per $100,000 in home value* would enable our school district to:

• Retain and attract excellent teachers and staff by increasing salaries to be more competitive with neighboring school districts.

• Increase and maintain school security support such as School Resource Officers; and implementing school safety and security upgrades.

• Provide additional Career and Technical Education opportunities for students.

• Update, maintain, and construct educational facilities as described in the school district’s bond plan in order to ensure safe and adequate learning spaces for students and staff and to reduce overcrowding.

*If both measures pass, the MLO would increase by 3.566 mills and the bond payment would decrease by 0.95 mills; estimated increase assumes 35% growth in assessed values.

I encourage you to learn more about our school system and about how our schools are funded by visiting www. dcsdk12.org/funding. There you can also RSVP to join me for a town hall meeting (there are two to choose from). Bring your questions as I will answer them live!

• Virtual Town Hall - Thursday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m. -or-

• Live Town Hall - Thursday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m. | Legacy Campus, 10035 S. Peoria Street, Lone Tree.

My three children are still benefiting from the amazing education they received in Douglas County. For me, recommending to put these initiatives on the ballot was about making sure that today’s young children receive the same great opportunities my children have had.

Thank you for supporting our students, teachers, and community.