With the economy weakening, Colorado voters will face about $2.5 billion of school bond issues in November. Officials say the money is badly needed to fix deteriorating facilities.
The town of Alamosa hopes to repair its high school that was damaged by fire 10 years ago. The Pueblo School District 60 in southern Colorado plans to adapt its schools for air conditioning. Rural Meeker needs to replace an asbestos-laden elementary school. Denver Public Schools plans to build two schools in the far northeast section of the city if voters approve its $454 million request.
The bulk of the bond requests, about $2.4 billion, comes from 15 school districts, with eight in the Denver metro area accounting for $1.9 billion. Rapidly growing Douglas County is asking for $395 million and Jefferson County seeks $350 million.
Sharing the presidential ballot could affect the outcome for the school bond issues, but 90% of Colorado school issues pass when they are on the general election ballot, election officials say.
The weakening economy could play a role, officials concede, but polls indicate that support for school funding is holding up. In Pueblo, a survey of 350 voters found that more than 60% would support a $10 monthly tax increase to finance improvements. Jefferson County, the state’s largest district, would not have to raise taxes to service bond debt because the district is retiring debt. However, its mill-levy override would increase taxes $3 a month for every $100,000 of a home’s assessed value.
