PUEBLO- As school funding continues to be a challenge for districts throughout the nation and the state- Pueblo School District 60 could soon be turning to the voters for a tax increase to fund the schools.
On Thursday, the school district Board of Education will hold a meeting at 2:30 p.m. to take public input about a possible mill levy override.
According to district officials, Pueblo City Schools is the last large school district in the state to ask for a mill levy override.
If the board decides to move forward with the process after Thursday’s meeting, this is the question that could potentially end up on your ballot:
“Shall Pueblo School District No. 60 taxes be increased by 6 million dollars in 2018 (for collection in 2019) and by such amounts generated annually thereafter by a mill levy of up to 6 Mills, to be extended for educational purposes to improve the quality of schools in the school district, which include:
• 50 percent toward increasing Teacher and Staff salaries in equal amounts adjusted for full or part-time status;
• 30 percent toward maintaining school buildings and infrastructure;
• 20 percent toward improving school safety, security, and mental health services;
And shall such increase be an additional property tax mill levy in excess of the levies the District is otherwise authorized by law to impose; and shall the district be authorized to collect, retain, and spend all revenues from such taxes and the earnings from the investment of such revenues as a voter approved revenue change and an exception to the limits that would otherwise apply under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution?”
Time is running out for the school district to decide if the mill levy override is the direction they want to take.
The deadline to get the question on the Pueblo County November 2018 ballot is August 28th.
‘What we’re seeing in our school district, and school district’s across the state is- the funding that’s available to us is simply just not enough,’ said Pueblo City School District 60 Dir. of Communications Dalton Sprouse, ‘we want to be able to compensate our teachers, we want to make sure that these school buildings are operating and being maintained.’
