September 5, 2018
Dear DCSD Families, Staff and Community Members:
It is an exciting time to be part of the Douglas County School District! The 2018-2019 school year is off to a great start and it is so wonderful to have our smiling students back in our buildings.
As you know, the DCSD Board of Education voted to place a Mill Levy Override (MLO) and a no-new-taxes Bond on the 2018 ballot.
The $40 million MLO would help make teacher and staff pay more competitive with neighboring school districts. The MLO would also add counselors at the elementary school level, and reduce counselor to student ratios at middle and high schools. Should the MLO pass, Douglas County School District will share those funds with its charter schools on a 100%, per-pupil basis.
The $250 million no-new-taxes Bond would address urgent overdue capital repairs in DCSD (such as heating and cooling systems, roofing, fire alarm systems, plumbing, etc.), enhance safety and security in all of our schools, replace aging buses and classroom technology, and add more student programming opportunities, including alternative and career and technical education options. Should the Bond pass, those funds would be shared with DCSD’s charter schools to enhance safety and security systems, and to address urgent capital repairs as allowable by Colorado state law.
DCSD has not passed a new MLO or Bond since 2006. To put that in perspective, the last time we passed a MLO and Bond, our current high school seniors were just in Kindergarten.
If both ballot measures are approved by voters, a Douglas County homeowner would pay an additional $44 a year per $100,000 of home value - or $3.67 per month per $100,000. These funds would stay local to help our 68,000+ students and 8,100 employees in the Douglas County School District.
If neither is approved, Douglas County homeowners would see their annual school property tax bill decrease by approximately $14.25 per $100,000 of home value - or $1.19 per month per $100,000.
According to a Realtor.com survey, a quality school district leads to increased home values. In fact, one out of five home buyers said they would pay between six and 10 percent above their budget to live in the “right” school district.
Funding is always a hot topic - whether you are talking about your family's budget or our great school district. Here are the top five common questions - and answers:
- How will my child's school - or the school in my neighborhood - benefit from additional local funding?
- What would the MLO/Bond cost the average homeowner or business owner?
- What do our schools need?
- Can't DCSD just cut administrative costs?
- Why can't our schools use marijuana tax revenue?
There are many more resources available on our website: www.dcsdk12.org/funding. I hope this information will help you make an informed decision this fall.
Sincerely,
Thomas S. Tucker, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Douglas County School District