Election Day is approaching much faster than the calendar might suggest, particularly when considering the lengthy list of ballot issues Colorado voters will face. In La Plata County, that list is could include several tax questions – each with a demonstrated need. Durango School District 9-R is among those public entities with a clear funding gap that, if left unaddressed, will significantly affect the quality of education the district is able to deliver. To prepare for a successful trip to the ballot, 9-R officials are having crucial conversations with the community about the need for more funding and options to meet it.

The discussion is important to have, given that school funding in Colorado has dropped in recent years, and dramatically so. Dan Snowberger, 9-R’s superintendent, said that Colorado spent 12 percent less per pupil in 2013 than it did in 2008, and the state is below the national average by more than 8 percent. What that has meant for 9-R is major cuts to programs: Resources are now gone that formerly paid for gifted and talented and trade programs, as well as funded the small learning communities – the schools-within-a-school at Durango High School that placed ninth- and tenth-grade students in an interest-based cohort to ease adjustment into high school. Each of these programs, and many others similarly compromised by diminishing dollars, has been sorely missed at 9-R while the district continues to have to do even more with even less.

Now, Snowberger and the 9-R board of education are shopping four potential tax increases around the community. They range from $965,000 to $14.9 million, but three of the four are on the lower end. A $1.1 million mill levy increase – about $28 a year for a $500,000 home – would offset the difference between what the state pays for kindergarten and what the district must pay in order to provide full-day kindergarten. A $1.7 million boost to cover general operating costs for the district would add $45 to a $500,000 home, and a $965,000 increase to pay for transportation funding gaps would see an annual property tax hike of $24 for a $500,000 home. The $14.9 million proposal would cover building and technology costs, allowing 9-R to catch up on maintenance, construction and technology investments. Doing so would increase property taxes $400 annually on the same home. Commercial contributions would be roughly 10 times the residential amounts in each option.

With taxpayers skeptical of increases, Durango School District 9-R will have to convince voters just how critical a need it faces. The district has dipped into savings and cut programs in recent years in order to avoid major deficits that would have occurred thanks to decreased state funding. It cannot do so indefinitely. In order to ensure that 9-R remains a district where students are prepared well for life beyond K-12 – college, career or otherwise – the community must take seriously the need to invest in our education. This will involve in-depth discussions about priorities.

In preparing for these conversations, 9-R has crafted a useful range of options that can draw out concerns and priorities. The district must commit to the lengthy and involved outreach necessary to garner critical support. It is off to a good start.