Jeffco outlines possible 2026 ballot levies totaling about $133 million
At a July 24 retreat, Jeffco Public Schools leaders presented four possible November revenue paths, including draft operating and capital levies, but the board did not advance an option or adopt ballot language.
Jeffco Public Schools leaders outlined four possible November 2026 revenue paths at a July 24 board retreat, including draft levies that could raise about $133 million combined. The board did not choose or formally advance an option at the retreat.
The discussion builds on the district’s adopted 2026-27 budget, which relies on reserves and deficit spending. The possible revenue would support compensation, operations and facilities; rejecting new revenue would lead to at least $53 million in reductions and capital deferrals for 2027-28, according to the district.
The scenarios were no new levies; a general-purpose mill levy override alone; a special-purpose mill levy alone; or a combined package. The presentation estimated about $73 million annually from the general-purpose override and about $60 million from the special-purpose levy.
The materials label the draft measures Ballot Issue 5[A], for general purposes, and Ballot Issue 5[B], for capital, maintenance and technology needs. The draft language is not final ballot language, and the district’s July 24 retreat materials do not record a vote authorizing ballot placement or adopting either measure.
The district’s budget-reduction blueprint says the board would consider placing a measure before voters in November. Jefferson County’s election page says content for the 2026 general-election ballot will be set in October. If voters approve levies in November, the retreat materials say the additional mills would be certified in December, collected through 2027 property taxes and begin generating cash from March through August 2027. The first full budget year for the revenue would be 2027-28.
The presentation estimated that a $75 million general-purpose override would cost a homeowner about $1.21 per month per $100,000 of actual home value. A combined $135 million package was estimated at about $3.58 per month per $100,000. Both figures are illustrative district estimates rather than final tax bills, and the materials do not provide a separate business-tax estimate. The examples are slightly higher than the roughly $73 million and $133 million scenarios discussed at the retreat.
Under the combined scenario, the general-purpose revenue would include about $8 million for charter-school sharing, $15 million for already awarded compensation and benefits increases, $39 million for future increases, and $10 million for career and technical education. The special-purpose levy would include about $7 million for charter-school sharing and $53 million for capital maintenance, facility improvements and building systems.
Jeffco said it invests about $108 million a year in facilities, compared with an industry benchmark of roughly $110 million. The presentation said falling below that level adds to the maintenance backlog and can contribute to HVAC failures, water-main problems and deteriorating concrete affecting accessibility and security. Potential work under the special-purpose measure includes HVAC and cooling systems, roofs, plumbing and sewer lines, parking lots, asbestos abatement, drinking-water systems, security and aging technology and infrastructure. The materials identify replacing R22 refrigerant in 96 buildings as a priority.
If voters reject new revenue, the district says it would continue under the approved 2026-27 budget and plan at least $18 million in General Fund reductions and $35 million in additional capital-maintenance deferrals. Potential actions include changes to staff calendars, compensation or benefits, staffing reductions, programming changes and additional school closures.
The board approved the budget June 11, including a $13.1 million General Fund reserve authorization for compensation increases and a tentative agreement with the teachers union. The board’s agenda materials show a General Fund appropriation of about $1.058 billion, including $67.3 million in reserves. Director Denine Echevarria cast the lone no vote on the budget, reserve-use resolution and tentative agreement, saying during the June 11 board meeting that she could not support “another deficit budget.”
The unresolved steps are whether the board advances one or both draft measures, what final ballot language says and whether either proposal reaches the November ballot. The available record does not provide a separate estimate of the measures’ effects on business taxpayers.