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Regardless of early disappointment, Adams 14 leaders are celebrating as unofficial ultimate election outcomes this week present voters handed each of the district’s tax requests.
The district hadn’t had a neighborhood tax measure authorised by voters since 2006, when a bond was handed to construct the brand new highschool.
Adams County’s final replace to election numbers Thursday confirmed the district’s mill levy request, 4A, profitable by 241 votes, and the district’s bond request, 4B, profitable by 109 votes. Outcomes will proceed to be thought-about unofficial till after the standard audit course of, with certification anticipated Nov. 26.
District leaders had initially launched a press release expressing their disappointment when it appeared final week that each measures would fail, however the district despatched out a brand new assertion on Thursday thanking voters.
“The passing of the bond and mill levy demonstrates the rising help and belief of the Adams 14 group,” mentioned Superintendent Karla Loría within the assertion. “This funding will enable us to improve our amenities, enhance our studying environments, and guarantee our lecturers and employees obtain the compensation they deserve.”
The district needed the funding from the mill levy override to lift salaries for lecturers and college employees however just isn’t planning to lift administrator salaries.
The bond funding will assist the district pay for constructing a brand new center college to accommodate seventh and eighth graders from each Kearney Center College and Adams Metropolis Excessive College, which can merge.
Different district faculties may even get constructing repairs for security and HVAC enhancements, in addition to new furnishings for school rooms.
Loría mentioned the subsequent step is for the committee that labored on the marketing campaign to fulfill once more, this time as the brand new oversight committee for the spending of the bond, to provide you with a timeline and subsequent steps.
The district may even want to fulfill with the union to barter the employees wage will increase.
For the center college merger, the district continues to be conducting extra group outreach. The district, like others within the metro space, has seen a drop in enrollment over the past a number of years.
Loría expects within the subsequent couple of months to pick out a transition web site the place this 12 months’s sixth graders will go within the fall of 2025, whereas present center faculties begin to get phased out.
The district additionally should choose a everlasting new web site for the joint new constructing someday this college 12 months. As soon as a web site is chosen, Loría mentioned the district may even have discussions about whether or not transportation companies might want to develop to assist college students who at the moment stroll to their center faculties.
Loría additionally needs voters to know she’s engaged on creating a number of methods for the group to have the ability to monitor how the cash will get spent, like a brand new web site, in addition to methods for the group to offer suggestions and “be capable to share what they actually admire and what issues they could have.”
Yesenia Robles is a reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado protecting Ok-12 college districts and multilingual schooling. Contact Yesenia at yrobles@chalkbeat.org.
