What about funding?
The Colorado School Finance Act determines the funding mix
for each school district. As the chart below
shows, BVSD receives most of its revenue from local property
taxes. This is due to our high property valuations; the
Finance Act's equalization formula ensures that districts with lower
property valuations receive more funding from the state.
Colorado law allows communities to increase their district's
funding by approving override funding through increased
local property taxes. Boulder Valley voters approved such
overrides in 1991, 1998 and 2002. However, the state limits
the amount of additional funding that can be obtained through
tax overrides. BVSD is now at its limit, and cannot
increase taxes.
State regulations assure that school monies are distributed
equitably so that neither of the two proposed school districts
has an economic advantage over the other. According to information
obtained from the State Commission on Education, splitting
the BVSD into smaller districts will not increase costs
or require additional taxes.
State funding of schools will continue to be challenging.
We must adapt our thinking to this reality if our public
schools are to survive and thrive. One alternative is to
seek alternative financing sources locally. Smaller districts
have a solid connection with the local community, increasing
their likelihood of garnering local support. Donations to
smaller districts have a bigger and more visible impact,
which is more attractive to businesses, foundations and
private donors. Donations to larger districts are spread
too thin to make any real impact.
Local businesses are hesitant to donate significantly
to single schools as they risk alienating some of their
customers. Likewise, they are not likely to donate to a
large district such as BVSD, where their donations are spread
too thin. The new districts proposed are a good compromise
between these two extremes, and offer donors a way to support
education in their community in a way that maximizes the
impact of their dollars on each child. In addition, smaller
districts will be better able to attract non-financial alliances
with businesses, local governments, colleges and other entities.
An art museum is more likely to work with a smaller school
district on an arts program that impacts the schools in
their community. A sporting goods retailer is more likely
to partner with a smaller district to sponsor certain sporting
events than they would be with a larger district where the
cost of impact is high. A city government is more likely
to think of a school district as its own if it is less sprawling.
Our kids will benefit from these alliances and donations.
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