Douglas County School District narrowly misses funding teacher pay raises, future construction projects

In Douglas County, it appears the school district narrowly missed getting two ballot measures approved.  

In a letter to staff and community members Wednesday, Superintendent Erin Kane said it's unlikely either the bond or mill levy override before voters will pass, despite outperforming early polling. One measure would have funded raises in teacher and staff salaries, while the other would fund construction and program expansion ahead of anticipated growth.   

"If we were able to move the needle by over 10 percentage points in a few months, imagine what we can do with another 12 months," Kane said in the email. "I want you to know that my leadership team and I are absolutely committed to continuing the work of educating our community and we are optimistic that with additional time, the MLO and Bond can and will pass." 

Several Douglas County voters told CBS News Colorado their no vote ultimately came down to not wanting to see taxes increase, and headed into Tuesday, that was one of the biggest arguments against the two measures.  

Still, school leaders say they'll ask for more funding again, and one teacher hopes voters reconsider next time around.  

"We do our best every single day to do the best for every single kid, and it just feels like we don't have the support," said Anna Tesdahl, a physics teacher at Rock Canyon High School.  

Tesdahl has taught in the district for almost two decades, and fears others won't stick around that long moving forward.  

She said it all comes down to disparities in pay compared to other districts, which ballot issue 5A aimed to address. In the past three years, at least three members of her department have left for a better-paying job in a neighboring district.

"Most teachers I know have a second job, and if you can't pay your bills, even if you absolutely love your school and love your students, you can't stay," Tesdahl said. "Any teacher who has less than 10 years of experience can move to another district and get a $20,000 pay raise."  

If the results stand, Superintendent Erin Kane said the anticipated pay raises will be put on pause, as well as new construction, building maintenance, security upgrades, and more.  

Pay will not be frozen or reduced either, as state revenue is predicted to increase.  

"We are not falling off a cliff," Kane said. "We're just not competitive with our neighboring districts and we'll continue to not be competitive with our neighboring districts."  

Board president Mike Peterson said district leaders will continue to engage the community. He expects the district to pursue similar funding measures again.  

"I just think we need a little bit more time to do a little bit more education and some outreach and we'll get them passed next time," Peterson said.  

Tesdahl said an investment in the district is ultimately an investment in kids, that so far other communities are more willing to make. 

"They are willing to put forth tax measures that will support their public schools, and we have more affluent residents, and they don't and that hurts," she said.  

The two measures had unanimous support from a school board that was enormously divided over the controversial firing of the former superintendent earlier this year. Peterson said he doesn't believe that played a factor in this defeat, though Tesdahl and others argued it may have.