LONGMONT — The St. Vrain Valley School District — home to 24,000 students — faces perhaps the most daunting financial challenge among school districts in the Denver area.
About 85 employees — mostly teachers — are losing their jobs to avoid a $4.5 million shortfall. At the same time, growth patterns will force St. Vrain to open three new elementary schools this fall.
To compensate, district officials are contemplating a $14.5 million mill -levy override to raise teacher salaries, reduce class sizes and hire back teachers who have been laid off. In addition, voters may be asked to back a $210 million bond issue for new schools in high-growth areas.
But officials in the state’s 10th-largest district face another hurdle — simple trust.
Six years ago, parents and teachers in Longmont and surrounding communities woke up to the startling news that the district had somehow managed to place itself in a $13.8 million hole. Mistakes were made by district accountants and other officials, creating the massive shortfall that led to a state bailout of the district.
Since then, the district has been credited with getting its financial house in order, but residents have been reluctant to grant the district a big influx of cash.
Voters rejected two previous mill-levy overrides — in 2004 and 2005 — that would have helped school programs and boosted salaries. The starting pay for teachers is among the lowest in the state.
St. Vrain parent Kelly Meilstrup said she’s worried the district’s belt-tightening will strangle too many essentials. “We’ve been cutting the fat and cutting the fat, but now we are cutting the meat out of the programs,” Meilstrup said.
Still, some taxpayers are suspicious of the district’s handling of its finances and want a clearer picture of its needs, said Steve Reynolds, whose grandchildren attend St. Vrain.
“I’m behind the schools all the way, but my thought is, ‘Why is the district having this problem?’ ” Reynolds said. “Why are we in this debt structure, and what’s to keep us from falling into the same situation next year?”
At a public forum last week to explain the district’s fiscal shortcomings, officials tried to persuade potential voters to forget the past and concentrate on St. Vrain’s future needs.
“Back then, there was justifiable anger,” said St. Vrain school board member John Creighton. “People were in different corners and angry at each other.”
But now, a new attitude is in order, Deputy Superintendent Don Haddad said.
“Trust us,” Haddad said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
