Along with new representatives on their boards of education, voters in the Pikes Peak region will decide on potential tax increases for four of its school districts. Widefield D-3, Manitou Springs D-14, Cripple Creek-Victor RE-1 and Peyton 23-JT will all ask voters to approve new bonds to renovate or replace aging infrastructure or mill levy overrides to bolster existing programs and salaries.

Here’s a breakdown of each district’s ballot measure:

Widefield D-3

Ballot Measures 4A and 4B will ask voters in the Security-Widefield area to approve an $88 million bond and a $5 million mill levy override (MLO) for upgrades across Widefield D-3. The bond would invest specifically in capital projects like school buildings and facilities, while the MLO would increase funding for other expenses, including salaries, student programs and equipment.

The top priorities the new funding would address, if passed, are a complete renovation of North Preschool, installing air conditioning in seven schools that currently lack it and building new space onto Grand Mountain School to account for neighborhood growth projections.

During a community conversation about the ballot measures on Sept. 30, D-3 Superintendent Aaron Hoffman said the district has been deliberate with existing funding to address the needs over recent years, and this latest bid to local taxpayers comes out of greater need.

“We can continue to do the small things. We continue to do the things we can to make sure that we keep things up to speed,” he told attendees. “But if we want to make a difference and if we want to do the things we need to do in our buildings, that’s the reason we’re going to the voters to ask for that.”

An external audit found $311 million worth of repairs in D-3. These priorities were then narrowed down to $128 million, which is the district’s current bonding capacity. Beyond the outlined needs for the district, the remaining $40 million would be prioritized for a future school at a later date.

Hoffman said on the surface all their schools look “beautiful,” and one might not suspect the severity and the costs of their needs.

“But when you look a little bit deeper and you go into the boiler room, you go into schools that don’t have air conditioning, you start to see that we have areas of schools that have 50-, 60-year-old devices where either you can’t buy parts for them anymore or they’ve become obsolete and we can’t fix them anymore.”  

Electrical upgrades, air conditioning and new roof sections at Widefield High School, asbestos removal and remodeling at Sproul Junior High, and HVAC and ADA upgrades at Mesa Ridge High School are among the other projects identified.

In North Preschool, along with air conditioning, D-3’s Chief Operations Officer Dave Gish said the plan is to completely gut the interior of the building and replace it with termite-proof building material. In 2021, termites were discovered within the building and have caused significant damage to its structure. Despite spending more than $110,000 on mitigation, termite activity remains ongoing.

“We’ve been fighting termites,” Gish said during the presentation. “We’ve been losing that battle, but we’ve been fighting the termites. Right now, it feels like we just make them angrier.”

The MLO funding would be allocated toward expanding safety and security personnel, staff recruiting and retention. The MLO would also sustain existing school programs for science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), college and career readiness and career and technical education.

Additionally, the district’s charter school, James Madison Charter Academy, would receive discretionary funding to decide on its projects as needed.

The total costs to taxpayers are calculated to be $5.40 monthly for every $100,000 of home value.

Manitou Springs D-14

In Manitou Springs, voters will approve or reject ballot measure 4C, a $37.6 million bond that would focus on upgrades to safety and security, ADA accessibility and infrastructure throughout schools and facilities.

The average age of the facilities in the proposed bond is 60 years old.

“This work is about more than just fixing what’s worn down. It’s about ensuring that every student learns in a safe, welcoming and equitable environment —and that our facilities support the high-quality educational experiences we are committed to providing,” said D-14 Superintendent Sean Dorsey in a public message.

ADA-compliant restroom renovations at the district’s two elementary schools, priority plumbing and HVAC updates at every school, roof replacements at three schools and replacing the high school gym’s floor and bleachers are among the capital projects outlined.

Additionally, the bond would invest more than $6.6 million into its aging athletic facilities. Manitou Springs High School’s track would receive a professional-grade resurfacing, while the district’s stadium and baseball field would receive safety and accessibility upgrades along with modernized scoreboards.

If approved, the new bonds would increase local taxes on homes valued at $500,000, the average home price in Manitou Springs, by $35.20 per month and $423 per year, according to district calculations. The duration of the new bonds would be over 25 years.

According to D-14, their last bond was in 2000 to construct their Shared Integrated Learning Center. Prior to that, their most recent bond was in 1987.

The Manitou Springs City Council also voted to put a measure on the ballot this November that would increase the current excise tax. This is a tax on local ticket sales and won’t affect property taxes.

Cripple Creek-Victor RE-1

Teller County’s Ballot measure 4A would extend an expiring tax, without increasing it, and increase the school district’s general fund by about $500,000 annually.

If approved by voters, the extra money would be used to increase incentives to attract and retain teachers and staff while also investing in deferred maintenance of district facilities.

Peyton 23-JT

In Peyton, voters will also decide an MLO proposal. If approved, Ballot Issue 5C would generate an additional $670,000 annually for the district to construct a new career and technical education facility and upgrade existing schools.

Local property owners would see an annual tax increase of $63 per property valued at $100,000, based on assessed property values rather than market values.

Peyton 23-JT’s board of education president Katie Harms said the district has invested more into its CTE programming in recent years as student interest and job needs in these fields has grown. She said what started off as a woodworking program has since grown to include automotive courses and computer labs.

“So, we need a building that is not just trying to hold these things but is for these programs,” Harms said.

The dedicated building would cut back on school buses transporting kids and students driving themselves across campuses to access these programs, she said. Going forward, the district hopes to add additional CTE offerings like welding and nursing programs.

“People really want trades to come back, our country needs workers in the trades … so we see this as a great opportunity to prepare our students and give back to our communities and our country,” Harms said.

Beyond the new facility, the new funding will go toward repairs to existing buildings like constructing a new gymnasium and addressing the high school’s aging septic tank.

A community informational meeting on the MLO on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Peyton Junior High/High School. 

Miami-Yoder 60-JT

Ballot Issue 5B will ask voters, without imposing a new tax, to extend an existing tax and increase Miami-Yoder 60-JT’s budget by $1.2 million to improve existing cafeteria space and storage facilities. The funds will also help the district acquire an emergency generator for safety and security needs.