The Jefferson County school board voted 4-1 Thursday evening to ask district residents for a $39 million revenue increase and a $99 million bond issue to bolster the district’s finances.
Witnesses testified to the Jeffco school board with this giant timer looming over them.
The board also gave final 4-1 approval to a 2012-13 district budget that cuts spending by about $20 million, the latest in several years of budget cuts.
The two issues are intertwined, because district officials predict that Jeffco could face $43.5 million in reductions in 2013-13 – deeply cutting programs and staff – if voters don’t approve the spending increase.
The meeting ran for more than four hours and was marked by repeated disagreements between conservative member Laura Boggs and her four colleagues, a familiar board dynamic.
Things were exacerbated by the fact that Boggs wasn’t in the boardroom at district headquarters in Golden – she participated by speakerphone. Since she had no visual contact with the rest of the board, she and the others kept verbally tripping over each other when Boggs tried to speak. She was the only no vote on the tax proposal, the budget and approval of the district’s contract with the Jefferson County Education Association.
At one point Boggs said she wished she were in the room, and board President Lesley Dahlkemper replied, “We’d love to have you here at the board meeting.”
The meeting also was extended by a lengthy public testimony session, primarily focused on the proposed bond issue and tax override. Most of the speakers urged the board to support the plan, with members of the large audience waving their hands in the air in shows of support after speakers finished. (Applause is frowned upon, so hand waving is the acceptable alternative.)
Speakers for two opposing citizen groups summarized some of the arguments over the tax election.
Byron Gale of Citizens for Jeffco Schools said the district urgently needs the extra revenue. “We’re eagerly awaiting the green light from the board so we can get on with the campaign,” he said. “With the right grassroots campaign I like our chances.”
But Sheila Atwell of Jeffco Students First questioned whether more spending would help flat achievement and graduation levels. “Do dollars mean better schools? I just don’t see that being the case.”
The tax increase would be used to maintain class sizes, protect elementary music programs and library staffing, cover utility costs and restore some cuts, according to district officials. The bond issue would be used for building upgrades.
The net effect of the proposal would be a $14.68 property tax increase for each $100,000 of a home’s value.
District voters last passed a tax increase and bond issue in 2004.
Next year’s district general fund budget will be about $557 million. (The total budget, including all funds, will be about $930 million.) The $20 million shortfall is being made up by continuation of a 3 percent compensation cut for employees, use of $5 million in reserves and $7 million in administrative reductions, among other measures. The budget assumes two furlough days and a four-day reduction in the work year.
Some board members used the discussion to vent about the financial pressures Jeffco faces. “The state finance act needs some revision,” said member Paula Noonan. “The legislature seems to think this is something fantastic,” she added, referring to the fact the state school spending is being held flat this year, rather than being cut again. “We are in a hole, and we are not getting out of the hole.”
Noting projected future cuts for the district, Dahlkemper said, “We want to retain the best and the brightest in Jefferson County. … I worry about how much longer we can hold on to those employees.”
When Jeffco ends collective bargining with the teacher’s union, we can talk about bond issues. On Wisconsin!!
We, the voters, need more details on the finances of this. Do these numbers include the expiration of the previous bond? Please specify in detail what portion of the taxes go toward the bond and what goes toward the revenue increase. It would also help if the numbers are posted in yearly amounts – NOT monthly increases – as we pay taxes yearly. I’ve noticed that recently, pro-bond advocates express tax increases in monthly amounts instead of yearly amounts to make it look less costly.
In regards to collective bargaining, this is a state issue, not a Jeffco issue, I do not feel we should hold Jeffco students to ransom because of a STATE issue. PERA is determined by the state and Jeffco is contractually obligated to uphold this amount- this is a state law. In addition, Jeffco employees have taken a 3% reduction in pay and have had their health benefits increase by 300% over the past 8 years. In terms of yearly amount it is anticipated to be $1.23 per $100,000 of house value so, based on your house value you can determine what your annual amount will be. Finally remember, Colorado is second from the bottom in state education spending, this is not good for our State or our kids. Jeffco is one of only two Denver Metro School Districts that have received a ‘green’ rating indicating the highest return on education investment. I think if everyone educated themselves on the true facts they would find only one conclusion and that is to invest more in our kids, our schools, our communities and our state.
Why would the end of collective bargaining with the teacher’s association be a condition to talking about (as opposed to even voting yes on) a bond issue? Aren’t bond issues concerning capital improvements? Why hold back students’ learning, which includes the facilities they learn in, because of that?
Huge cuts have been made through collective cooperation with the associations.
Would more cuts be good to save us money?
Is education a good investment, worth the additional costs, and are we willing to help?
Is the system just too messed up to contribute more?
Hopefully, we don’t additionally jeopardize the future with spiteful intentions.
It’s a $39 million revenue increase and a $99 million bond issue
Jeffco Schools finance and budget > http://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/finance/index.html
$14.68 a month for each $100,000 of property value is $176.16 a year (or about $.48 a day), double that if your house’s value is $200,000 ($29.36/month, $352.32/year, $.97 a day).. if your house is worth $1,000,000 then it’s $146.80/month, $1,761.60/year, $4.83/day
“The 2010 NSSEA Retail Market Awareness Study,” was based on a survey of 308 K-12 teachers in May 2010 conducted by Perry Research Professionals. It revealed that teachers spent on average $356 of their own money on supplies and resources in the 2009-2010 school year.
I might be way off with the money figures I had before, I thought it was $14.68 A MONTH for $100,000 house value, if that’s the yearly figure then the amounts will be much less. (divide each by 12)
If so, it’s $1.22 a month/$1000,000 value, $14.68/year, $.04/day
Just to confirm, according to the Press release and other materials it will be 1.23 a month per $100,0000.
The Bond money can ONLY be spent on capital investments, ensuring Jeffco schools get needed repairs. The Mill will be spent on ensuring acceptable class sizes, instrumental music, instructional support, outdoor lab and teacher librarians. Jeffco School Board did have many discussions with the public who said these are what are important to them. You can find all the detail of the budget and the facts on the Jeffco web site.
If a company is losing revenue due to less sales, then there’s less work to do and fewer employees needed. It’s tough, but if there’s less work to do, then layoffs are needed – or keep employees at reduced pay. Schools don’t work that way. Schools are not companies. The work to do hasn’t changed, but there is less money to do the work.
If a company’s sales stayed the same, and the amount of work needed stayed the same, then if there were layoffs, all the work couldn’t get done. Something would have to give.
Some companies are actually getting more work done with fewer workers (efficiencies are now very high), that’s partly why the jobs recovery is taking so long – for adjustments.
Some think that’s what’s needed at schools. The budget has been cut. The students stay the same (about), so save money with paying the teachers and staff less, and having fewer teachers with resultant larger class sizes, and having fewer support staff and resources.
We have done all that and more.
Schools are not companies though, the cuts hurt our students and our future.
Is adding resources to help fund the future of our kids and our community a good idea?
Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan have a wonderful opinion piece that speaks directly to Don’s issue of short term cut costs approach to education and why it does not work.
http://www.schoolleadership20.com/profiles/blogs/reviving-teaching-with-professional-capital-by-michael-fullan-and
“Governments need to demonstrate courage and faith in investing in long-term professional capital among all teachers for everyone’s achievement, rather than pursuing short-term business-capital interests that reduce the cost and tenure of teachers, pit them against one another, and replace them with online alternatives in order to get a quick financial return.”
I am a Republican and have voted that way for more than 20 years. However, I have a 7 year old daughter and have watched cut after cut since we began school. I have done the research, looked at the financials, and looked at the state budget and funding numbers. Now that I know it’s a state issue, I will do all I can to ask my representatives to get this fixed and help in any way that I can. I am thankful that we have the opportunity to help Jeffco kids directly with the mill & bond and KNOW that this money will go directly to the classrooms and kids and very thankful to Jeffco Schools for their transparency. I’m volunteering to help this pass and spreading the word to a few hundred friends! http://www.supportjeffcoschools.com.
It is clear to me that for some people, the true agenda is not the education of our children, but taking down the teachers unions. It makes sense, really. Teachers are smart, and good at planning and organizing. They have direct ties to the community. They have a war chest. And they are numerous. If they decide to turn out the vote against your issues, they can have a powerful impact. Destroy the union, and you destroy a major voice of opposition. Of course, the people who want to destroy the union usually don’t put it in those terms, so they hold up poor test results and blame the teachers, thereby giving the impression that the district is rampant with incompetent teachers who need to be sacked, and the only thing blocking that is the union. Many people jump onto this easy answer to education’s problems without realizing the true political motives behind the movement.
Unions exist for a reason. If employers were always good and reasonable, and treated their employees well, there would be no unions. I have volunteered considerable time to an elementary school in Jeffco, and have seen teachers get fired, so I know that the idea of “untouchable teachers” is a myth. I know that if it weren’t for the union, two teachers with the best student test scores in the school would probably have been fired, due to a personality conflict with the principal.
Further, without the union, the temptation to administrators to get rid of one experienced and expensive teacher, in favor of two new, less expensive teachers, would be high. Next thing you know, it’s a race to the bottom to save money.
Finally, if you are serious about improving Jeffco Public School test scores, start funding them like private schools, keep their class sizes at 15 students to 1 teacher rather than 30 – 1, give them the same power to get rid of disruptive or chronic absentee students, and hold parents accountable for their child’s behavior. If you aren’t willing to give public school teachers the conditions conducive to teaching well, then you shouldn’t hold the test scores of their students up to the same bar as the private schools.