Adams 12 details how 2018 mill levy override funds are being used for curriculum, staffing and student supports

Adams 12 Five Star Schools staff on the FACT advisory panel summarized how the district is spending and forecasting revenue from the 2018 mill levy override, known in the presentation as “5C.” The district forecasted next year’s 5C revenue at about $34,700,000 (a roughly 2.3% increase over the prior year) and said inflation will reduce the levy’s buying power over the longer term, leaving the district short by an inflation‑adjusted $38,000,000 by fiscal year 2029 if current priorities remain unchanged.

The presentation described the 2018 mill levy override as an additive funding stream that supplements—but does not replace—other district revenue. “5 C was the mill levy override,” said the meeting host. Megan Kane, chief academic officer for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, summarized instructional and student-support investments funded through that levy and related district funds.

Kane said about 10% of 5C funds go to updating learning materials, resources and textbooks. The district plans a roughly $1.59 million adoption of a new middle‑school English language arts curriculum aligned to standards, and continues investments in platforms and resources such as Seesaw, Edpuzzle, Gale, OverDrive, Pear Deck, Everyday Math and ST Math. Kane said the district delayed one elementary math curriculum adoption to allow staff to complete implementation of existing benchmark and DIBELS assessment systems.

On interventionists and class size, Kane said the district originally budgeted 15 elementary FTE, 2 K‑8 FTE and 1 coordinator FTE for academic interventionists. The district deployed additional interventionist positions using pandemic ESSER and other one‑time funds and at its peak had about 47 FTE supporting intervention systemwide; those temporary positions cannot all be sustained as the ESSER funding winds down. “We will be able to ensure that all of our elementary and K‑8 schools will be able to maintain and sustain an interventionist that will be able to support intervention for our most needed students across the system,” Kane said, referring to the allocations the district intends to preserve using 5C and other available funds.

Social‑emotional learning (SEL) additions and counseling were also highlighted. Kane said the district expanded SEL programming and added counselors prior to and during the pandemic and listed curriculum options schools may adopt, including Sources of Strength, Capturing Kids’ Hearts, Restorative Practices and Second Step. She noted higher personnel costs for licensed counselors and social workers and said some SEL positions added with ESSER funding are being adjusted as federal funds phase down.

Staff compensation and recruitment remains a major category. The presentation noted the district’s long‑term personnel costs and described prior changes that emphasize early‑career pay and experience credit adjustments; staff compensation, including steps and COLA, accounts for the largest share of district spending.

The district explained how 5C funds are shared with charter schools under the district’s posted plan: mill levy override funds are distributed on a per‑pupil basis after the district applies any offsets required by state capital construction distributions and instructional adjustments. The district emphasized that changes in funded pupil counts can increase a charter’s share even if the levy amount itself changes only with inflation.

Officials said the district uses its financial transparency website to publish the plan for distribution of additional mill levy revenues and other budget documents for public review. The presentation also reiterated that most district spending (about 88% of total budget in the presentation) is for salaries and benefits and that other operating costs—energy, transportation fuel, insurance—consume the remaining budget.

Panel members invited questions from FACT members; the presentation materials and the district’s financial transparency pages were flagged as sources for further details and forthcoming board presentations by the finance team.