LONGMONT — St. Vrain Valley School District officials hope voters trust the district enough to pass a $189 million bond issue and tax increase this November.
The bond issue would finance the construction of two new schools and pay for long-delayed maintenance work and technological upgrades for the district’s other 44 schools.
A separate proposed tax hike is expected to generate $16.5 million next year. The mill-levy override would help boost teacher salaries and allow the district to hire back some of the 85 employees it recently laid off, school board president Sandi Searls said.
“We’ve had plenty of groups and people actually demand we put these items on the ballot,” Searls said. “They know that without us moving forward, we won’t be able to prepare our kids for the 21st century.”
But Searls and other backers concede plenty of hurdles remain, including lingering skepticism about the district’s fiscal management.
Longmont residents were rocked in 2002 when they learned the district had fallen into a $13.8 million hole. Mistakes were made by district accountants and other officials that led to a state bailout of the district.
New financial managers and oversight has put St. Vrain on steady financial legs. But doubts about the district may have led voters to reject two previous mill-levy overrides — in 2004 and 2005 — which would have bolstered programs and salaries, officials said.
“Hopefully, we have moved past the trust issue, but I’m sure there are still a few members of our community who have concerns,” Searls said.
This time around, however, the district is getting widespread support from parent groups as well as most of the area’s town boards, she said. St. Vrain Valley is spread over 411 square miles and serves 13 communities.
Dacono officials, however, are not supporting the bond issue because the district has refused to build a school for the town’s 4,000 residents.
“We’ve worked for three years to get St. Vrain to help us here, but they’ve always turned a deaf ear to us,” said Dacono Mayor Wade Carlson. “So in good conscience, we can’t support a bond issue that will, once again, help other communities.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
