Denver voters should not give up on their public schools.
The city’s teachers, students, principals and support staff need safe, comfortable classrooms and buildings to do their important work – readying the next generation of Coloradans for success and happiness.
The district funds most of the upkeep and upgrade of schools by asking voters to approve a bond package about every four years. This November the school board and superintendent are asking for almost $1 billion. A “yes” vote sends actual dollars to every school in the district for fixes, big and small.
We understand that some are urging voters to reject this bond issue to send a message. There is a growing frustration with the district-level management and the elected school board about things that have little to do with fiscal management or school conditions. But we can’t justify punishing those who work hardest in this district or those students suffering summer heat simply to vocalize displeasure with the adults in charge.
Here are five reasons to vote yes on the school district’s bond proposal and one big concern.
1. Technically taxes will not increase. Older bond debt is getting paid off leaving room for the school district to take additional debt without increasing service payments. Of course, what we all know is that if voters say no to this proposal, property taxes will decrease for homeowners and commercial real estate owners in the city. The tradeoff is not worth the small savings – collectively about $250 million a year.
2. 29 schools in DPS still have no air-conditioning in their buildings. The district has slowly whittled away at this problem and, if this bond passes, the district can officially say that none of its schools are without heating and cooling. In recent years, the district has had to close because of the heat, leaving students at home and parents in the lurch. But worse, some days the district has stayed open and children have suffered the ill effects of unbearably hot classrooms.
3. School safety is a top concern and this bond measure includes $30 million to make our schools more secure. At several campuses the district plans to add entrance vestibules that will allow staff to screen visitors before entry. The money can and should be used to buy new external doors that cannot be breached and locks and other barricades for internal doors.
4. Every school – including charter schools in district-owned buildings – will get some funding. The district has an inventory of historic buildings and those built in the 1960s and 70s that are in need of everything from new paint to new windows and doors. Principals, teachers and parents will have a say in how some of the money is spent at their schools.
5. The school district has proven that it will deliver on its promises over the years, and maintaining the same level of investment in our maintenance of buildings is an investment in the future.
Our one big concern is that this bond does include millions of dollars for a new elementary school in far northeast Denver near the existing mega-campus that holds DSST Green Valley Ranch Middle School, Rocky Mountain Prep Green Valley Ranch, Vista Middle School, Kipp NE Middle School, and SOAR Elementary School.
The district projects that housing developments planned in the area will bring an additional 500 elementary students by 2027. However, we urge the school board to take a wait-and-see approach. Denver actually needs to close a number of schools with low enrollment and move school attendance boundaries to adjust for pockets of growth, pockets of gentrification, and changing school choice preferences.
Then, once those options have been exhausted, the board can move forward with building the new Gateway school at 51st Avenue and Telluride Street. If every elementary school in northeast Denver were filled to 100% capacity, there would be room for another 830 students. Obviously, that would mean bigger class sizes and students having longer drives to schools with bigger zones. But before we build a new school amid closures, let’s make sure we absolutely need it.
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