Pueblo County School District 70 fails to win vote to repeal mill levy

Pueblo County School District's 1970s mill levy repeal failed to win voter approval Tuesday, leaving administrators to look elsewhere for ways to improve schools and teacher pay.

The final vote count showed that 52.6% of voters, or 15,927, cast “no” votes, while 47.4%, or 14,319 voters, cast “yes” votes.

“We are definitely disappointed with the result. We respect our voters’ decision,” said Lynnette Bonfiglio, public information officer for Pueblo County School District 70.

The funds would have helped the district resolve septic and sewage problems at Pueblo County High School and replace the roof of the 70-year-old school building.

“We remain committed to providing a safe learning environment and quality education for all of our students. “Of course, without this additional funding, we face significant challenges in addressing our aging infrastructure and our other critical needs,” Bonfiglio told the Chieftain.

The override would have raised $7 million to cover a state grant for Building Excellent Schools. The district would need to raise $4.9 million to receive the $3.9 million grant, Bonfiglio said.

“We will continue to carefully evaluate our budget and examine possible savings in all areas to ensure we can meet the most pressing needs, particularly the sewer and wastewater system in the county,” she said.

The district needs to “continue to make budget cuts, evaluate programs and see which ones we can continue to offer, and prioritize safety and infrastructure needs,” Bonfiglio reported.

The additional funding also would have created an opportunity to close the district's teacher pay gap with nearby Pueblo School District 60.

“As we fail to close that gap with our neighboring districts, that’s a pretty big impact. We don’t want to lose our highly qualified teachers and staff to a neighboring district,” she said.

“We are grateful for the continued support of our employees, our families and our community partners as we continue to navigate these financial challenges we face and work toward solutions that best serve our children and our schools.” said Bonfiglio.

If approved, the override would have cost a homeowner $3.89 per $100,000 of assessed property each month. For example, a homeowner with a home worth $300,000 would pay $11.67 per month or $140 per year, while an owner of a home worth $400,000 would pay $15.56 monthly or would pay $187 per year. There are only six school districts in Colorado that are funded at a lower rate. However, each of these six districts has a voter-approved mill levy repeal than District 70, making District 70 the lowest funded district in the state.

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news and subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

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