Ballot Issue 3A is a proposal to increase the mill levy for properties within the boundaries of Durango School District 9-R.

The increase would benefit the eleven public schools in School District 9-R and would also benefit the two charter schools.

The Durango schools have suffered significant losses in funding since 2008 as a result of the Tabor and Gallagher amendments to the Colorado Constitution, legislative inaction and the classification of Durango as an urban school district.

As a result, School District 9-R has had to cut school programs to the bare minimum, as well as cutting staff to the bone. Good educators have left the District as a result of more demands on their time without adequate support.

If Ballot Issue 3A does not pass, even more cuts will be necessary, possibly including bus service, further staff reductions and full-day kindergarten.

The additional tax to an owner of a $400,000 home would be about $36 per year.

If the measure passes it will also provide long-term increased funding from the state. The formula for state funding of public school depends in part on funds raised from local property taxes.

This ballot issue provides necessary funding for our community’s schools while also ensuring more equitable funding from the state.

I am not a fan of property taxes, but Ballot Issue 3A is the best solution for the drastic decline in funding our schools have suffered over the last 8 years.

Rob Dawes

Durango