AURORA | Voters in the Aurora Public Schools district approved a tax increase for mental health services and other safety measures in schools, while raising teachers’ salaries.
As of 10:39 p.m., Tuesday, the measure had received 57.2 percent of the votes to 42.8 percent voting against the measure.
5A will increase property taxes by $8.22 a month for $100,000 of home value. The homeowner of a $500,000 home would pay an additional $41.1 in property taxes each month.
Most of Aurora is included in the Aurora Public Schools district. About 37,000 students are in APS P-12 schools.
5A will create a fund of $35 million to place mental health professionals like social workers, psychologists and counselors in elementary through high schools. Teachers and staff will also be trained to recognize behavior from students who may be experiencing trauma outside of schools.
Funds will also be spent on adding seat belts on new school buses, which typically do not have seat belts for school children given the size of the buses.
Additionally, teachers would receive a raise of about three percent.