During the meeting, DPS staff helped attendees use an online budgeting tool to suggest how the $44 million should be spent.

Denver Public Schools is seeking public input on a proposed tax measure designed to address a growing gap in school funding. At a recent meeting at Westerly Creek Elementary School, DPS Chief Finance Officer Chuck Carpenter said declining enrollment, reduced federal support, and tightening state budget are putting increasing pressure on district finances.

This fall, he hopes voters will approve a $44 million mill levy override to give more money to teachers or programs, or both. He said if the measure passes, the average homeowner would pay about $70 more a year. Although DPS salaries are some of the highest in the state, Carpenter said it’s still not enough. “We have kept up with inflation at DPS. However, two of the biggest costs–housing and healthcare–have been skyrocketing since 2015. It does make it hard to attract and retain excellent educators in our classrooms,” he said.

DPS officials outlined five  priorities they have identified that the revenue from a mill levy could be used for: salary increases for all staff, additional incentives for teachers that work at high poverty schools, more money for teachers in hard-to-fill positions, reduction in health insurance premiums, or funding for programming at career and technical hubs.

The officials are holding a series of meetings across the city to hear what residents think of the priorities and solicit other ideas. Ultimately, a DPS-appointed committee of teachers, parents, administrators, and community leaders will create a proposal for how the funding should be allocated. That plan will be presented to the school board in June. In August, school board members will decide whether to put the measure on the fall ballot.

DPS Chief of Finance Chuck Carpenter explained why he hopes voters will approve a mill levy override to help fund schools.

After the Westerly Creek meeting, the school’s principal, Jill Corcoran, said she supports any proposal that gives more money to teachers. “When I have teachers that can’t afford to live in Denver, that’s a problem,” she said. “I’m hearing from a lot of our staff that healthcare is out of reach for their families, so if this can do anything to help them, I 100% support it.”

Emily Aronow, who has a kindergartener at Isabella Bird Community School, said she would rather see money use for hiring additional paraprofessionals in the classrooms. “My son has 28 kids in his class and only one teacher and no para. She does a great job of classroom management, but they aren’t getting individualized instruction,” she said. “I’m disheartened that they (DPS officials) didn’t have ‘adding more staff’ as a priority. I worry that they’ve made up their minds.”

Grace Goodman has two children at Carson Elementary School. She, too, was disappointed that the listed priorities didn’t include additional staff. “Our school needs more support staff,” she said. “I’m going to tell my friends to advocate for more reading interventionists if they fill out the survey.”

Carpenter said it’s a tough tradeoff. “We’re a large organization. We have almost 12,000 employees. We have 150 district-managed schools and 200 schools when you add charters. If you add one additional person at every school, you’re talking $20 million. That’s a hard decision.”

Russ Ramsey, a Central Park parent who is serving on the Mill Levy Override Committee, has been attending the DPS meetings and is pleased with the community engagement so far. He said he knows people will have differing priorities so considering all proposals is part of the committee’s job. “I imagine it’s going to come up in a lot of community meetings about class size, staffing ratios, access to specialists, and that kind of thing,” he said. “The committee will have to wrestle with all of that.”

Ramsey said he believes the community feedback will be seriously considered, both by the committee and the school board. “The superintendent has said he’s taking these recommendations seriously and it’s our assumption that the community development of this is an important part of the board’s decision-making process.” He said whether residents have school-aged children or not, he hopes they will participate in the process.

The community meetings will continue through May 14. To see the meeting schedule or take the online survey, visit https://bond.dpsk12.org/page/mill-levy-override-proposal.

Front Porch photos: Mary Jo Brooks