Douglas County School Board members appear to favor asking voters to approve a $490 million capital improvement bond issue, essentially a replay of the bond request voted down by 52% of voters in 2023. The board is hoping a bigger voter turnout, given the 2024 presidential election, and growing awareness of the county’s schools’ state of disrepair, will lead to passage.
The board hasn’t yet voted on the potential bond issue. Superintendent Erin Kane presented options for a potential bond, ranging from $490 million to $725 million, to the school board in May. Kane said the district needs funding to address repairs and building upkeep, noting that delaying fixes often makes solutions more costly.
“Our capital maintenance backlog is crazy,” Kane told the school board.
The lower amount would cover the district’s maintenance needs for one year, fund two new elementary schools and one middle school expansion. The larger amount would pay for maintenance through 2028, three new elementary schools, a middle school expansion and school improvements.
Douglas County has some growing neighborhoods that currently don’t have schools, including Sterling Ranch, the Canyons and Ridgegate. Students in those neighborhoods are being bused to overflow schools.
In 2023, the district asked voters for a $488 million bond to fund maintenance for three years, build three new elementary schools and expand two middle schools, but it failed with 52% of voters opposing. The district last passed a bond in 2018, which addressed capital maintenance through 2021.
Kane said the goal is to get back to passing bonds on a regular schedule of every three to four years, which the district did from 1984 to 2006.
She added that inflation has made construction and maintenance more expensive, explaining why the latest proposal would accomplish somewhat less than 2023’s; also, as maintenace is deferred, its cost expands.
Recent polling of roughly 400 people found that 56% of voters would support a $490 million bond, which would not increase taxes. Larger bonds would raise taxes; a $725 million bond, for instance, was estimated to increase taxes by $126 per year for a $1 million home.
If a bond is not placed on the ballot or if it fails, property taxes will decrease by an estimated $94 per year for a $1 million home.
This is the last year Douglas County can ask for a bond without increasing taxes due to the way that its debt payments are structured.
“As we structure debt over time, we look at our payments for where we can step down and potentially fill in with new debt,” Kane said, adding that the district needs taxpayer permission to take on new debt.
The board seemed to favor the idea of asking for a $490 million bond because it’s tax-neutral and voter support shown in polling.
“Some of the results we saw in the polling is because it’s clear it would be without an increase on your current taxes,” said board member Susan Meek. “I don’t want to risk not passing a bond this time around because we’re asking for more money.”
Board president Christy Williams said she is “gun-shy” about asking voters to support a bond for a third year in a row when voters have previously opposed the bonds.
But Todd Vitale, a consultant, said this year will have a much larger voter turnout because of the presidential election and the electorate is likely to skew more in favor of school funding.
“We just barely fell short last November,” Vitale said. “Sometimes it takes two or three bites at the apple before voters are both educated about what’s happening, have learned what the need is, and over time (become) more comfortable.”
Board member Tim Moore was also initially hesitant, but now leans in favor of asking for a bond because of the financial impact of delayed maintenance and lack of schools.
“The longer I’m here and learn about what’s really going on behind the scenes, what the need is and why it exists, I tend to lean in favor of (the $490 million bond),” Moore said.
Passing a tax-neutral bond now means that future bonds will require more significant tax increases, Kane, the superintendent, warned.
Kane said a $725 million bond would allow the district to keep on top of maintenance needs and open the potential for future tax-neutral bonds.
“It sets us up for getting to a place where we can stay within the (tax) rate while we continue to maintain and invest in our capital,” she said. “It isn’t just one and done, we have to continue to invest in our buildings over time.”
