Owners of median-priced Denver homes can expect to pay an extra $72 in school taxes annually if it passes

A district advisory committee is recommending that Denver Public Schools ask voters to raise their taxes but, after receiving community feedback, differed sharply over how the money should be spent.

The mill levy override committee prioritized mental health and special education in its recommendation over several proposed staff incentives for educators working in hard-to-fill positions.

The district also sought money to pay for medical insurance premiums and programs designed to recruit and train new teachers.

“Our job, as a committee, was not to rubber stamp these recommendations, but to thoughtfully look at these and also hear from the community,” said Vernon Jones Jr., co-chair of the panel.

Jones is founder and executive leader of FaithBridge Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to educational “equity.”

The committee’s recommendations are: 

• $25.8 million for salary increases for staff
• $4 million for career and technical education hubs
• $4.8 million for student mental health and special education supports

Charter schools would receive $9.3 million annually. Originally, the district proposed $10.2 million for the charter schools. A share is required by state law.

After weeks of hearing presentations by DPS staff, the committee unanimously voted in its May meeting to move forward with discussing a mill levy override. During its June meeting, the committee unanimously supported the recommendation.

The school board is expected to approve putting a mill levy override on the November ballot in August.

Mill levy overrides can only be used for ongoing operating expenses.

If approved by voters, the mill levy override is expected to generate $43.9 million annually.

DPS already generates about 25% of its core funding through voter-approved tax overrides — and the district would be asking voters to increase property taxes again.

For a median single-family home in Denver, the DPS portion of the property tax bill is expected to rise about $72 to $2,375, according to the district.

The proposal would mark the latest in a series of voter-approved funding requests, as the district navigates declining enrollment and rising financial pressure.

Chuck Carpenter, interim deputy superintendent of operations, blamed the necessity for “local initiatives” on lagging state funding, while also saying the mill levy override — if approved by voters — represents just 3% of the district’s roughly $1.5 billion budget.

“It would not be a life-changing increase to Denver Public Schools,” Carpenter said.

A recent Denver Gazette analysis found DPS has operated with a negative unrestricted net position for at least two decades, reflecting long-term liabilities that exceed available resources, limiting its financial flexibility.

The district relies heavily on local taxpayers for its funding. Over time, state support has declined as a share of total revenue, leaving Denver more dependent on property taxes, which are not tied to enrollment.

State law caps the amount a district can raise through a mill levy override — up to 25% of its total program funding.

Revenue from the voter-approved override can support teacher pay and school programs. It cannot be used for capital construction, which is funded separately through voter-approved bonds.

The district can adjust only a small portion of its total tax rate each year. In practice, the changes in a property’s assessed value are what most often determine whether a homeowner’s tax bill goes up or down.

In 2024, Denver voters overwhelmingly approved the largest bond measure in Denver’s history, $975 million, after DPS officials promised no new future taxes.

In addition to voter-approved bonds, the district has also relied on lease-purchase financing arrangements, known as Certificates of Participation, to take on long-term obligations without voter approval. The practice has drawn scrutiny from critics, who argue it reduces transparency around school debt.

The district’s use of this financing is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the legality of the arrangements and raising broader concerns about how school debt is issued and disclosed.