Adams 12 Board certifies $39.42 million mill levy override for November ballot

The Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to place a $39,420,000 mill levy override on the November ballot, a proposal district leaders say is intended to shore up teacher pay, expand programming and add security and mental-health staff.

Deputy Superintendent Beau Fobert said the measure is designed to address a “competitive disadvantage” the district faces compared with neighboring districts and to stabilize staffing after deep cuts last year. “Because of declining state funding last year, we had to cut $27,500,000 from our budget last year, approximately a 150 jobs,” Fobert said during the board meeting.

The proposal would be a local, voter-authorized supplement to state funding. Board members certified the ballot question during the meeting; Directors Assad Lucas, Battistelli, Goldstein, Marsh Holschen and Potter each voted “Aye.” Board staff estimated the measure would cost the owner of a home valued at $661,000 about $34 a month based on assessed valuations cited in the presentation.

Why it matters

District leaders and school principals told the board and the public the mill levy override is intended to blunt staff turnover and support programming that local voters approved last year through a bond measure. Tim Griffin, Adams 12’s chief human resources officer, said vacancies are already affecting operations and instruction: “As of today, we have a 112 classified vacancies…and that also includes 20 certified openings,” Griffin said. Without competitive pay, he added, the district loses experienced teachers and support staff to neighboring districts that can offer higher salaries.

Principals shared hiring examples. Erica Fleeman, principal at Horizon High School, said the school had a midcareer teacher resign after receiving an offer that paid $12,000 more at Aurora Public Schools. Gina Costa, principal of Glacier Peak Elementary, described a similar loss of an experienced English-language-development teacher after the candidate faced a $20,000 pay gap.

Planned uses of the levy

District presentations divided the proposal into three primary investment areas: staff compensation and retention; programming and career/technical expansions; and safety and mental-health supports.

- Compensation and retention: Leaders said about two-thirds of the levy funds would go to staff compensation, noting that roughly 75% of district expenditures already support educators and classroom staff. Fobert told the board that this package “gets us a little closer to the middle” of regional pay scales but will not fully close the gap with the highest‑paying districts.

- Programming: Matt Schmidt, executive director of secondary options and innovative programming, described funding for expanded career and technical education (CTE), additional postsecondary/workforce-readiness coordinators at every school, and support for concurrent-enrollment costs and materials. Schmidt noted state policy changes (referenced in the meeting as Senate Bill 205-315) that push districts to expand postsecondary credits, industry certificates or meaningful work-based learning experiences for graduates.

- Safety and mental health: Anthony Muck, director of safety and security, outlined plans to add school security liaisons, second campus security officers at middle schools, and overnight guards to protect construction work tied to the 2024 bond. Sarah Hunter, prevention and crisis recovery coordinator, urged expansion of the district’s school-based therapy program, noting therapists currently carry caseloads of 50 to 60 students and that in‑school access makes students “six times more likely to get the support they need.”

Background and context

Board and staff presentations placed the proposed override in the context of prior local ballot measures and state funding. Fobert and Superintendent Chris Godowsky reminded the meeting that a 2024 bond measure passed while a 2024 mill levy override failed, and that Colorado’s school funding formula leaves significant differences in base funding among districts. Godowsky said Adams 12 receives about $11,747 per pupil under state formula funding and that the district currently ranks near the bottom among Front Range peers for local override revenue per student. He said the $39.42 million ask would move Adams 12 from about 14th to roughly 9th among comparable districts for override revenue per pupil.

Public comment and concerns

More than a dozen community members spoke during public comment. Several urged the board to put the levy on the ballot and highlighted classroom and staffing impacts; others raised concerns about the permanence of levies, the burden on taxpayers and whether the package is focused enough. One speaker who identified herself as Michelle Hunt criticized comparisons to Aurora and warned of the long-term costs for taxpayers. In response, the board invited legal counsel to clarify statutory limits mentioned during public comment; counsel said state law caps how much local overrides can increase total program funding and that the district cannot unilaterally raise a levy by an extra mill each year in perpetuity.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution to set ballot question authorizing a $39,420,000 mill levy override: Approved, unanimous (Directors Assad Lucas, Battistelli, Goldstein, Marsh Holschen and Potter — Aye).

What’s next

Because the board certified the resolution, the mill levy override will appear on the November ballot for voter approval. District officials said they will continue community outreach and briefings in the coming weeks to explain the proposal and its projected household impact.