Denver schools makes a case for $515 million tax increase
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg believes he can make a compelling case that voters should approve a tax hike in November that will give DPS an extra $515 million.
He said in a meeting Friday with the Denver Post editorial board that DPS is the fastest-growing school district in the state and has grown faster in the past five years than school districts in any of the largest 50 cities in the country.
The number of students graduating is up 30 percent since the 2005-06 school year, DPS has tripled the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses, and it has had double-digit increases in student proficiency in reading, math, writing and science in the past seven years, he said.
“I think we can make a very strong investment case. … We are just completely outperforming the rest of the state,” Boasberg said. “It’s a remarkable growth story.”
As the political season hits full throttle, Denver Public Schools will be beating the drum for the two tax measures — a $49 million mill levy and a $466 million bond issue — that Boasberg said are “critical for kids.”
Both DPS measures will be on the ballot Nov. 6, as will tax-hike requests from other metro-area school districts, including Cherry Creek, Jefferson County and Aurora.
The DPS bond money will be used to maintain, renovate and expand aging facilities; construct new buildings to handle enrollment increases in southwest Denver, far southeast Denver, Stapleton and Green Valley Ranch; and expand technology for education and operations.
The mill levy will dedicate $15 million to instructional support, including hiring tutors for students needing intensive intervention; $11 million for enrichment programs such as music, art and physical education; and $13 million for early-childhood education.
If approved, the mill-levy and bond issue would add about $143 to the annual tax bill for a Denver resident whose home is valued at $225,000.
Boasberg said over the past three years, state funding for DPS has been cut more than $800 per student. The district has more than 80,000 students.
Online. More Denver and Colorado education news at the Colorado Classroom blog.blogs.denverpost.com/coloradoclassroom
Steve McMillan
I would be willing to support this if and only if Boasberg and others work to make sure fathers (including himself and others like Bennet, Hickenlooper, etc) are doing half the unpaid work of taking care of their children and of family life generally, or taking responsibility for this at least by paying for any help they bring in (i.e. not shifting their work to their wives, no matter how much their wives want the power of being primary parent and to avoid taking financial responsibility for at least half the basic expense of the family).
I do not want my tax dollars going to pay schools to do what fathers should be doing.
He says the students are doing better then ever and with $800 less per student maybe the answer is less money. Get rid of 50-60% of the administration and then ask for a tax increase
t seems too large to me. They should be asking for 250 million for what they want to do. Gone from the articles lately have been the mention of sustainability/green upgrades for buildings. Also, Stapleton and other well to do areas seem to be getting more than their share while less affluent areas make do. What about asking those areas with more wealth to contribute more in donations… I don’t know. And yeah, they should cut more fat from the budget. There’s a lot of money already there.
DPS is a good ol’ boys network that ultimately is interested only in its perception. As a former teacher within the system, I know firsthand of the deceit and disingenuousness employed by Boasberg and his minions. I don’t believe DPS and neither should you.
Interesting read at http://www.coloradoschoolgrades.com (note the academic proficiency of the Denver Public Schools).
We know the truth, and that is not what is coming out of Boasberg, Wilson and the rest of the “let’s get as much money as we can, spew facts that we make up, take ‘teaching seminars in Las Vegas, and cover up the Ed Salem cheating scandals”.
Ouch. The truth hurts…
Denver Public Schools have been robbing the taxpayers blind for decades. They get more than enough funding already. Trim the fat first before citizens are asked to foot the bill again. This is one of the most mismanaged entities in this city and they deserve not one penny more.
Please keep in mind that most DPS teachers are only working an average of 9 months when you consider all of the breaks and summer vacation. Look at the link below:
http://hr.dpsk12.org/salary_schedules
If you prorate DPS teacher salaries, they are actually compensated quite well.
The superintendent is compensated equally well. The superintendent was hired at $176,000.00 and is entitiled to salary increase of $20,000.00 which caps at $236,000.00 in 2012. He is also entitled to retention bonuses ranging from $10,000 – $50,000.00.
Google Denver public Schools executive salary and you can see the link to the contract.
While DPS is providing a laundry list of nice to have items, they are not guaranteeing where the money will be spent.
I am also not so naive to not believe this money won’t end up as a bargaining chip in a teacher union dispute.
DPS has not made a case for such an extravagant increase in funding and the taxpayers should say no!
No mention of pension costs but the mill override is essentially to pay for retirement lifestyles of our esteemed teachers, administrators, and janitors. The average retirement age of DPS employees (teachers, janitors, administrators, …) is 57 with 75% of spiked recent salaries with about half of the retires with retirement ages less than 57. The pension costs are a black hole. PERA is using a ridiculous discount rate (8%) to mask true pension costs. PERA is also taking large risks with investments to chase returns. With an aging workforce and increasing numbers of retirees, PERA should have a larger amount of its portfolio invested in more secure assets.
I give the whole unionized education system a grade of F. Whenever there is a perceived problem, the solution is always to throw money at it. Our children have suffered educationally in this country for a generation and have the low scores and behavior problems to prove it. The classroom is not a social experimentation lab. Get back to basics, get rid of the teacher’s unions and hire teachers based on excellence. Most importantly, get local school boards back in the driver’s seat.
He wants to dedicate only 2 million toward nursing/counseling services. An area that was cut the deepest only a couple of years ago. Not that I think it needs 15 million but come on. These kids don’t need 15 mil in instructional support. They need food, clothing, health services (nursing & counseling/mental health) and then you will see a student who’s ready to learn. The problem is the condition our kids are in coming through the door. You could make the case that those issues aren’t the responsibility of the educational system but how do you expect to teach to damaged goods. The kids need to get healthy first. This isn’t rocket science, folks.
If we were serious about a world-class education for all of our children, this wouldn’t even be a question. We need more resources, well-trained (and supported) teachers, and access to technology for all of our students.
Unfortunately, the pennywise and pound foolish crowd is standing in the way.
The math here is simple: despite Boasberg’s claims, DPS isn’t really making the progress he claims.
Let’s start with CSAP/TCAP scores, focused on low income students, the population DPS says it wants to serve better. The first number below represents the percentage of the district’s low income students at or above proficiency 2007. The second, DPS’ score in 2011.
Reading: 32% v 38%
Writing: 22% v 27%
Math: 26% v 32%
In another story by the Post today, DPS is claiming that its low income population makes up 73% of its student population.
DPS has seen some remarkable increases in student performance, but not because it is better serving low income students. It is because middle class parents have returned to the district and taken back a number of schools in the city’s more affluent neighborhoods.
This has resulted in the growth DPS is touting, which has much more to do with parents than anything Mr. Boasberg has done.
As one member of the bond committee said to me yesterday, if the bond fails, it will be because people do not trust Mr. Boasberg or the Board of Education. This is probably true, but should it come to pass, the Post will report the measure failed because of the weak economy, not DPS ineptitude.