Sixteen Colorado school districts will be asking voters this November to approve a total of $274 million in bonds for construction projects, according to the Colorado Association of School Executives.
The request is the lowest sought by districts since 1991, when districts asked for $68 million statewide.
The Thompson R-2J district will make the largest request – $89 million – according to CASE. The district serves Loveland and northern Colorado.
The only metro-area district seeking a bond is Brighton 27J, which is asking for $68 million.
Last year’s requests topped $1 billion, the largest amount in state history.
Districts also are seeking $66 million in mill-levy overrides to cover operating costs associated with growth.
Phil Fox, deputy executive director of CASE, said he believes districts are focusing on Referendums C and D, which ask voters to allow the state to keep $3.7 billion that would otherwise be refunded to them under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and allow the state to borrow $2.1 billion for various projects.
