JeffCo School $567M Construction Bond Ballot Issue Likely To Pass

GOLDEN, CO – Things looked dicey on Election Night for voter approval of a proposed $567 million construction bond for Jefferson County Schools. Ballots voting "yes" on ballot measure 5B were behind by more than 9,000 votes on Nov. 6, but pulled ahead into positive territory over the week, as the Jefferson County Clerk's office counted absentee and military ballots.

Measure 5A, proposed a mill-levy increase of $33 million for operating expenses, including teachers salaries, passed with a wider, decisive margin.

The official tally as of Wednesday was 150,579 "yes" votes, or 50.26 percent to 149,046 votes against, or 49.74 percent. That's a 1,533 difference.

A total of 299,625 voters marked their ballots for this issue.

It's still a very close race. To trigger a recount, the difference in votes must be one-half of one percent of votes cast, or, in this case, a 1,498 vote difference.

Jefferson County and the Colorado Secretary of State Elections Commission are expected to release the certified vote totals Thursday.

Superintendent Jason Glass was confident in a FaceBook Live post Wednesday.

"Five-B, though not yet final, is also expected to pass," Glass said.

Ballot measure 5B gives the district an infusion of borrowing to update the physical facilities of JeffCo's 155 schools. The average age of a school building in the district is 50 years old. JeffCo has around $1.3 billion in "facility needs," the board was told in August.

The district wants to use the bond funds to update older schools built before 1980, primarily high schools. The last time the district passed a capital bond was in 2004.

For the capital bond issue, the district estimated the residential tax burden on residents will be about $1.81 a month per $100,000 in home value, or about $5.42 per month on a $300,000 home and $9.03 per month on a $500,000 home, the district said.

Funds cannot be used for administration or other staff, and the bond spending will be monitored by a citizen oversight committee and subject to an external audit yearly, Glass told the board in August.

Measure 5A, the $33 million mill-levy increase, will cover operating expenses, including salaries for teachers and counselors. The residential property tax increase will average $2.10 per month per $100,000 in home value. That adds up to $6.31 per month on a $300,000 home, or $10.52 per month for a $500,000 home. Again, funds cannot be used for administrative salaries, and the additional funds will be monitored by a citizen oversight committee and subject to an annual external audit.

In 2016, JeffCo voters shot down both a bond issue and a mill-levy raise totaling $568 million tax package for schools.

Glass described the two ballot measures as a "game-changer" for the district.

Amendment 73, a statewide amendment to raise taxes for public schools was defeated Nov. 6 by the voters.

Related: On the JeffCo Ballot: 3 Tax-Raising Measures For Schools

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