Voters reject school funding measures - #lakewoodnews

For school board president Ron Mitchell, the first results, posted in the minutes after polls closed Election Night, painted a grim picture: Jeffco Schools' bond and tax override measures were headed for defeat.

"It was way too early in the night," Mitchell said. "I don't think I was prepared for it."

Voters rejected the 3B bond measure 52.7 percent to 47.3 percent and the 3A mill levy override 52 percent to 47.9 percent.

The $535 million bond proposal would have funneled money into building new schools and improving and repairing aging ones. The $33 million mill levy override would have been an ongoing increase to the district's tax revenue, with the money going towards attracting and retaining teachers and hiring more mental health staff.

Those in the community who were critical of the bond measure said the rebuke from voters was well deserved.

"A 90-day conversation for that large of a bond issue without a broader discussion obviously didn't work," said Laura Boggs, a former board of education member and critic of recent tax proposals.

Boggs said she supports more funding for education, but disliked several details of the bond package. She said 3A, the mill levy override, was likely overshadowed by the bond.

"I'm pretty shocked," said Katie Winner, who has two children in elementary school. "As a parent I had to vote and live it the next day. Non-parents don't."

Mitchell agreed that communication could have been better.

"It feels like we really missed an opportunity to chart a much brighter future for our school district," Mitchell said, adding that figuring out what went wrong would be a top priority. for the board and the district.

Superintendent Dan McMinimee said no definitive answer exists for how the district will deal with ongoing state budget shortfalls without the 3A and 3B tax revenue, but there will be "tough choices" during ongoing budget discussions.

The district's $800 million facilities master plan would have received a jump start with the bond funding. Now, "virtually all of it" will be on hold for lack of funding, Mitchell said.

Bill Bottoms, campaign chair for the Yes on 3A and 3B campaign, worries about the overall effect on school environment.

And the lack of funding from 3A will be especially harmful in the attraction and retention of high-quality teachers, he said.

McMinimee agreed, especially in light of surrounding districts like Denver and Mapleton managing to pass their own tax measures.

"But the bottom line is that we have to show up because there's 86,000 students that count on us to bring our best every day," he said, "and that's not going to change."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Voters-reject-school-funding-measures,239261