Pueblo D70 considering ballot measure that would secure $7 million in annual funding
Without passing a ballot measure, Pueblo County School District 70 could be whittling down its reserve funds to "a dangerous level" for necessary facility upgrades, Superintendent Ronda Rein told the Chieftain.
Pueblo D70 is considering placing a measure on 2024 ballots that would create approximately $7 million in annual funds through a 7.0 mill levy increase. Property tax increases would cost the owner of a $350,000 home an extra $8.26 per month.
On March 13, the district posted an online survey to inform residents of district needs and gauge community support for a potential ballot measure. The survey will be available to take through a link on the Pueblo D70 website until March 24.
"Most of the funding would be allocated towards priority maintenance items that are a threat to the safety and security of students and buildings... The district has considered a mill levy override for 20 years, but the capital improvement items that have surfaced this year, that had not been a part of the (2020) bond, have surfaced to a point of high priority," Rein said.
Some funding created by a successful ballot measure could be used to remedy sewage system issues at Pueblo County High School — a school of about 1,200 students. Without addressing these issues, the district could face fines or even have the school shut down, Rein said.
"If our sewage systems are not updated, we could incur major fines that would force a shutdown of some schools," she said. "We have three schools with sewage systems that need upgrades and one is extremely critical. The other two will be critical within the next two years."
Sewage system issues are critical at Pueblo County High School. Cedar Ridge Elementary School’s sewer system is in the process of being upgraded and Prairie Winds Elementary’s sewer system could become critical as the student population increases, according to Pueblo D70 public information officer Lynnette Bonfiglio.
Other high priorities include fire system upgrades, roof replacements and the repaving of parking lots. The turf at Pueblo West High School, Pueblo D70's largest school, was replaced in 2023. However, turf at Pueblo County and Rye high schools will soon need to be replaced, costing the district about $750,000 per field.
A successful ballot measure also could fund career and technical education programs and increase the number of security guards at schools throughout the district. Currently, there are four total security guards at Pueblo County and Pueblo West high schools.
Funding from the potential ballot measure would not be used for teacher salaries. The district would continue to utilize state funding to bargain salaries.
In addition to costing the average Pueblo County homeowner about $8.26 per month, a successful ballot measure would annually cost agricultural landowners .02 cents per pastureland acre, .04 cents per dry land acre, .46 cents per sprinkler-irrigated land acre, and .63 cents per flood irrigated land acre.
More information about the potential ballot measure can be found by taking the online survey at research.net/r/PUEBLO70_LIVE.
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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Here's why Pueblo D70 is weighing a ballot measure to increase funding
