Voters tend to agree with the Cherry Creek bond and mill levy issues

Early results show that both the Cherry Creek mill levy and the bond issue are operating at comfortable margins.

Proponents say the Cherry Creek School District's mill levy and bond package could invest in safety, innovation, teacher salaries and building maintenance.

“If you don't pay out bonds for an extended period of time, you're going to have to cut your classroom size to make that happen,” said Scott Smith, chief financial and operations officer for the Cherry Creek School District.

On the Nov. 5 ballot, voters were asked two questions.

The package included a $9 million mill levy increase and a $950 million bond issue, giving residents less than $15 for an average Arapahoe County home worth $500,000 -dollars per month. According to officials, this means homeowners must charge less than $3 per month for every $100,000 in property value.

In Colorado, voter-approved increases or revocations of the mill levy result in increases in property taxes for school district operating costs. Voter-approved bond issues raise property taxes only for capital improvement costs.

Projects include increasing school security, expanding the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, increasing teacher salaries, supporting student mental health and addressing maintenance needs on aging campuses.

“We have about 8 million square feet of space, and it costs us about $40 million a year to maintain it,” Smith said.

According to Ashley Verville, director of strategic communications and external affairs for the Cherry Creek School District, the package is a sum the school district put together through extensive planning and input from community members.

Although property taxes have increased in the district and statewide, schools are not necessarily receiving this additional funding.

“When local property taxes increase, school districts receive more money from their local voters,” Verville said. “We get more from our local taxpayers, but the state’s contribution goes down. So it's just that mix that changes. But the bottom line is that our funding per student remains the same.”

As the district grew and student services and programs expanded, revenues failed to keep pace with expenses.

“Many people in our district don’t realize that we educate as many students in Aurora as Aurora Public Schools,” Smith said. “Aurora is an important, if not the largest, community we serve in Cherry Creek.”

Cherry Creek is Colorado's fourth largest school district with 52,409 students. Although Cherry Creek is located in Centennial, Arapahoe County, Greenwood Village and Aurora, Cherry Creek Schools make up a majority of Aurora.

For which the bond and the mill levy are paid

Security and protection: This includes hiring more trained security personnel and installing security improvements such as ballistic window films. It also includes replacing outdated surveillance cameras and improving access control systems for schools.

Innovation in Education: Expansion of the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, which provides students with hands-on training in high-demand career fields. The expansion will allow the Innovation Campus to accommodate 70% more students and develop or expand 10 additional career paths.

The campus is a huge success, the programs are immediately fully booked. With the expansion, many students will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to find a higher paying job straight out of high school.

Smith said times have changed since students began choosing between college and careers. Now they can get an academic edge for their high school careers.

“These are very real careers that we can give our children access to,” Smith said

Teacher salaries: The funding will help maintain competitive salaries and teacher benefits and ensure Cherry Creek schools remain competitive in teacher recruitment and retention, officials said.

Healthy, innovative learning environments: A portion of the bond will be used to replace aging and deteriorating school buildings at three of the district's oldest campuses: Laredo/Smoky Hill, Prairie/Overland and the Cherry Creek K-12 campus.

“We are replacing buildings that have reached the end of their useful life, but ensuring we preserve and honor the history and tradition of all of these facilities,” Smith said.

Student health and well-being: The package includes additional funding for student mental health and well-being resources.

Major maintenance projects: Due to budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district faces more than $300 million in deferred maintenance needs. This bond issue would help carry out critical repair and maintenance work across the district, ensuring buildings and infrastructure are safe, functional and up to date.

Because Colorado's School Finance Act does not fund facilities or capital projects under the School Finance Act of 1994, districts must ask voters for additional funding. School districts must rely on bond measures and millage levies to raise funds to maintain and improve their facilities and programs.

A mill levy override supplements a school district's operating budget and covers salaries, staffing, technology, supplies, transportation and utilities. It is funded by local property taxes and requires voter approval.

A recent change to the School Finance Act allowed the Cherry Creek School District to increase the mill levy override limit from 25% to 30% of its total program, Verville said.

A capital construction bond finances school district capital expenditures, such as building and renovating schools, upgrading systems (heating, roofing, wiring), security projects, and major technology purchases. Bonds are funded by local property taxes and require voter approval. The Cherry Creek School District has a strong credit rating and can issue tax-exempt bonds at low interest rates to cover these long-term costs, according to officials.

This story was originally published by the Aurora Sentinel. Used with permission. For more information, visit sentinelcolorado.com.

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