Voters may face record level of Colorado school funding measures in November

Voters probably will be asked for a record-setting sum to pay for public education in Colorado this year.

Nearly $4 billion worth of bond issues and mill levy overrides to fund capital improvements, buttress technology purchases and beef up staffing at hundreds of schools statewide could end up on the November ballot, according to data provided by the Colorado School Finance Project.

While some of the funding measures are still in the discussion stage and may not make it to the election, 2016 should set a record for the most money sought for school funding in Colorado’s history — eclipsing the nearly $2.7 billion districts requested from voters eight years ago.

Taken alone, Jefferson County and Denver — the state’s two largest school districts with a combined enrollment topping 177,000 students — will ask voters for nearly $1.2 billion in funding to build new schools and fix hundreds of others. In total, 34 school districts across Colorado will send, or are discussing sending, funding measures to the ballot in November.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/08/colorado-voters-school-funding-measures/