Two of La Plata County’s school districts have placed property tax increase measures on this year’s ballot. Durango seeks to make up for money denied to the district by the use of the “negative factor” in the state’s determination of school funding. Bayfield wants to capitalize on an available $8.5 million state grant to help with construction of a new elementary school.
Both districts have done their homework before bringing the questions before the voters. And both measures – Ballot Issue 3A for Durango 9R district voters, and Ballot Issue 3B for Bayfield – deserve “yes” votes.
In 2000, Colorado voters passed Amendment 23. It mandates that the base funding for each student should keep pace with the rate of inflation. To determine just how much each district will receive under the School Finance Act, that base figure is run through a formula that includes local variables, or factors, including school district size and the number of students in a district deemed to be “at-risk.”
Facing a budget crisis in 2009, the state Legislature interpreted Amendment 23 to mean that only the base per-pupil amount was subject to increases, not the factors, and a “negative factor” was introduced to the formula, allowing the Legislature, in effect, to cut overall school spending to meet a funding target significantly below what the amendment would require without it.
That the use of the negative factor violates the voters’ intent in passing Amendment 23 is, at the moment, a moot point. The Colorado Supreme Court upheld the practice in 2015. Statewide, the negative factor is blamed for a $1 billion school budget shortfall; for Durango 9-R alone, the figure is currently $37 million. The result has been an ongoing budget crisis, a freeze on staff salaries and the loss of popular programs.
Durango’s unique combination of size and geography contributes to the problem, according to Superintendent Dan Snowberger, who ironically says, “We are in Purgatory.” Too urban to qualify for factors that benefit rural districts, and too small to qualify for funds available to larger districts, Durango 9-R receives substantially less funding, per student, than many districts in the state.
Both school districts have been hampered by the negative factor, but Bayfield’s request is focused on construction and growth. Passing the nearly $30 million bond issue will take advantage of the available grant and prepare the schools for the growth projected for the area in the coming years.
Property tax increases are not popular, but these measures are needed at this time.
It our responsibility to ensure that our schools are able to accommodate the high standards and goals we have set for our children. We expect no less.
Vote “Yes” on Ballot Issues 3A and 3B.
