SECURITY-WIDEFIELD, Colo. (KOAA) — At Venetucci Elementary, a boiler that’s been running for over 40 years still heats the building, but it’s showing its age.
“The boiler still works, but it is aging and it’s hard to get parts,” said Dave Gish, Chief Operations Officer for Widefield School District 3.
That’s just one example. Across the district, buildings are struggling to keep up with basic needs, everything from termites to outdated wiring.
Widefield School District 3 is asking voters this November to approve an $88 million bond and a $5 million mill levy override to fund improvements at 14 school sites.
“If we didn’t truly need the funds, we wouldn’t ask for them,” said Superintendent Aaron Hoffman. “We did not feel comfortable at the time of asking people when their taxes already increased... but we need to. It's time for us to repair the things and it's time for us to time for us to go for the bond and mill.”
At North Preschool: Termites and Temporary Fixes
North Preschool is at the top of the district’s project list. The building is still safe for students and staff, but extensive termite damage has become an ongoing battle.
“This is a regular preschool classroom, and we’ve already had to do several repairs,” explained Gish during a tour. “Behind the chalkboard, all the material was eaten away, it was getting flimsy. We replaced it with a whiteboard and termite proof materials.”
He pointed to a nearby door.
“Same with this trim, it was being eaten away, so we replaced that too,” said Gish.
If the bond passes, Gish said the district plans to rebuild areas of the school using materials designed to resist further infestation.
“We’ll use metal studs and fiberglass-backed drywall, anything to keep termites from having a food source," said Gish. "And of course, we’ll continue mitigation when needed.”
Electrical Challenges at Widefield High School
Gish also highlighted another serious limitation at Widefield High School, outdated electrical systems.
“We did electrical upgrades across all of our schools, except Widefield,” he said. “The cost of upgrading this building was just too high with the funds we had.”
That’s become a major barrier to something as basic as air conditioning.
“We can’t install air conditioning throughout the building until the electrical system is upgraded,” said Gish. “If we can’t do a full upgrade, we’ll do what we can department by department. But that’s not a sustainable long-term solution.”
History of Conservative Requests
Superintendent Hoffman said Widefield has a history of asking taxpayers only for what’s necessary.
By state law, school districts can request up to 25% of their total program budget through mill levy overrides. Widefield currently uses only 10%.
“We’re asking for an additional 5% now to bring us to 15%,” said Hoffman. “We don’t want to burden voters more than we have to. That’s always been our approach.”
He also pointed to a 2017 bond that funded Grand Mountain School. Voters approved a tax increase of $9.25 per $100,000 of property value. Thanks to refinancing and early payments, that number has now dropped to $3.32.
“We only ask for what we need,” said Hoffman. “And when we do, we’re careful stewards of the money.”
Some community members have asked why marijuana tax revenue isn’t covering these costs. Hoffman explained that the district applied for a BEST grant, which uses marijuana tax dollars to fund school improvements, but it’s a matching grant.
“We applied for a BEST grant, which accesses the marijuana money,” said Hoffman. “But we don’t have the matching dollars in reserve. Without the bond, we can’t get that money.”
The district says the bond would allow them to unlock that state funding to make every local dollar stretch further.
Transparency, Oversight and Prioritization
If the bond passes, Hoffman said the district will immediately form a Bond Oversight Committee to ensure accountability.
“Maintaining financial fidelity is extremely important to us,” he said. “The $88 million in bond projects won’t happen all at once, we’ll need to prioritize and phase them in responsibly.”
Top priorities include North Preschool’s termite-related rebuild and the electrical upgrade at Widefield High School.
Community Engagement Efforts
The district has launched a series of initiatives to educate the public ahead of the vote, which include the following:
- town hall meetings in August and September
- “Tuesdays with Terry,” a digital Q&A series led by Financial Office Manager Terry Kimbers
- outreach through the Widefield Information Network (WIN) Committee, a volunteer group working with local organizations
“There’s often confusion about where tax money goes,” said Hoffman. “We want voters to clearly understand how school funding works and what this measure would support.”
The Cost to Homeowners
If approved, the bond and mill levy override would cost a homeowner with a $400,000 property about $20 more per month. That money would support staff retention and long-overdue facility improvements.
“We don’t want to lose staff to nearby districts that pay more or offer better facilities,” said Hoffman.
Still, not all residents are on board.
“I feel like this will get voted down,” said local resident Joscelyn Tanner. “Having it come out of their home, the one place people need to feel secure, I think is a terrible idea.”
If the measure fails, the district will continue making repairs as funding allows, but at a much slower pace.
As community member Michael Harter put it: “It’s your responsibility as a citizen to properly fund your children’s, or your neighbor’s children’s education.”
The bond and mill levy override will appear on the November 2025 ballot.
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