"Our schools are in crisis": Douglas County voters to weigh school district mill levy and bond
By Olivia Young, CBS Colorado
Updated on September 24, 2023
Douglas County School Board President Mike Peterson debates merits of school funding question
by McKenna Harford/Colorado Community Media
September 15, 2023
“Peterson said that a bond will be passed at some point because it’s necessary for capital maintenance, calling it responsible and healthy debt. He added that the longer the bond is deferred, the more expensive it will get.
‘You are all going to pass a bond, it might not be this year or next year, but if we keep going until kids are blowing out their ACLs on torn up turf fields and gym roofs are caving in and parking lots look like the San Andreas fault, eventually there will be a pain point when Douglas County passes a bond,” he said. “Just know we rack up $35 million every year in expenses maintaining our 111 buildings.’”
Public shows overwhelming support for DougCo schools funding initiatives
By: Suzie Glassman/NewsBreak Denver
(Castle Rock, CO) DougCo students, teachers, principals, charter school administrators, parents, and community leaders stood up one after another to ask the school board to place a $66 million mill levy override (MLO) and $484 million bond on this year’s ballot, despite facing increased property taxes and high inflation.
Sixty-eight district principals signed a letter saying that passage of an MLO and bond is critical to the district's success.
‘The decrease in the applicant pool and the scarcity of qualified candidates is concerning,’ read Julie Crawford, principal of Eldorado Elementary.
’Simply put, it’s not that we have unqualified applicants. It’s that we have zero applicants.’
She also said the new construction would help reduce overcrowding and allow the district to plan for future growth.”
Photo by Douglas County School District
Invest in DCSD kicks off campaign for school funding
District asking voters for $66M mill levy override, $484M bond
by McKenna Harford/Colorado Community Media
”We need schools here in Crystal Valley and in Sterling Ranch because these communities are booming and there’s no where for our kiddos to go,” Dotseth said. “Our community needs this (mill levy override) and bond to support the students in our district by retaining and recruiting high quality educators, maintaining and improving existing school buildings, and constructing new schools.”
Photo of Lenaya Dotseth speaking at Invest in DCSD kickoff by McKenna Harford
