Financiamiento Escolar 101 & Preguntas frecuentes

What is a bond?

 

A bond is funding drawn from existing property taxes to support public projects and services. Denver Public Schools (DPS) is one of the public entities that has the ability to ask voters for funding through property tax increases.

A portion of Denver residents’ property taxes go into a state fund that supports education in Denver and across the state. Another portion of property taxes are for bonds and mill levy overrides that fund only projects and services in Denver.

If approved by the Board of Education, DPS will present a 2024 bond package proposal to Denver voters in November 2024. DPS will not be asking voters to approve a mill levy override in 2024.

If approved, the bond proposal will require an increase in the district’s bond debt but will not increase property taxes.

 

What is the difference between the bond and mill levy?

 

Bonds are one-time investments in capital projects such building classrooms, buying technology and security equipment.

Bond funds help renovate older schools to update them for 21st-century learning, build brand-new school buildings and buy additional educational technology. Watch this informational video to learn more on the difference between a bond and mill levy.

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• A mill levy funds ongoing operational needs such as teachers, software, enrichments, and social-emotional supports.

• A bond funds the building of schools, athletic facilities and classrooms.

• A bond provides funding for critical maintenance needs which include air conditioning installations, mechanical and plumbing repairs.

• A bond funds technology upgrades which include installation of state-of-the art safety features for schools, assistive technology equipment for students with disabilities and electronics for student learning.

 

Denver Public Schools will not be asking voters to approve a Mill Levy Override in 2024.

 

How are schools funded?

 

Watch our informational video to learn more about school funding: “School Funding 101”.

 

How does Colorado's education funding compare to other states?​

 

Colorado ranks near the bottom of the country in education funding – at 33 out of 50 states. Colorado spends around $2,000 less per pupil than the national average and more funding is necessary in order to support our students and help them thrive.

 

How does DPS determine the level of support for each school once a bond is passed?

 

Generally speaking, bond projects are selected based on school need. The DPS facilities team conducts in-depth facility analyses and prioritizes projects throughout the district. What this means is that every school will not receive the same amount of investment, but rather the schools with the greatest facility needs will receive larger investment.

An equity index is also utilized in the planning process, to ensure we meet our mission statement that states “Educational equity is our collective responsibility.”

The equity index is based on the percentage of students classified as special education learners and percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch in schools.

In addition to our facilities team analysis, we solicit the help of volunteers to prioritize investments, in order to create a community-centric process, known as the CPAC.

 

What is the Community Planning and Advisory Committee (CPAC)?

 

A bond package proposal offers a unique opportunity to improve the student environment and learning experience. Given this unique opportunity, the Superintendent sought to place our community in the role of developing these recommendations.

The 2024 CPAC was made up of a group of 72 community members, including parents of DPS students, current DPS students, DPS staff, and members of the community with varied professional backgrounds who felt passionate about serving DPS students in this unique civic engagement process.

Volunteers met regularly over the course of several months in order to develop the bond package recommendations, which were presented to the Board of Education in June.

On Thursday, Aug. 15 the Denver Board of Education unanimously voted "yes" on a $975 million dollar bond package for DPS. On Nov. 5, the package will be presented to Denver voters.

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How did the legalization of marijuana affect funding for Denver schools?

 

DPS does not get a significant amount of funding from marijuana taxes. Since marijuana was legalized in 2014, DPS has received no funding from state marijuana taxes.

However, the City of Denver collects taxes on marijuana sales, and some of those funds go towards youth marijuana prevention and education. DPS receives about $1 per student from these sources to provide after-school and summer programs.

 

How was DPS accountable for the 2020 bond investment?

 

A citizen oversight committee was appointed by the superintendent and the school board. The Bond Oversight Committee ensures accountability for delivering projects scope and transparency around bond financial management. For more information visit the Bond Oversight Committee page. For more information on 2020 bond projects and their progress, visit 2020 Bond Projects & Programs.