AURORA | In preliminary returns, the Aurora Public Schools capital mill levy 5A and bond 5B has passed with a healthy margin.
Aurora Public Schools Board of Education placed the two significant funding measures on the November ballot: a $1 billion bond issue and a $30 million annual capital mill levy change — neither of which will increase property taxes.
“We’ve done enough homework and proactive financial planning for this so that you can approve this and that your taxes won’t go up,” said Brett Johnson, APS Chief Financial Officer.
These measures will provide funding for the district to improve infrastructure, enhance learning environments and expand educational programming.
“I’m not discounting that a billion isn’t a lot, but those dollars do not go as far as they did eight years ago during our last bond, and so I’m confident in the analysis that was put in for the bond package,” Johnson said.
APS and Cherry Creek Bond and Mill Levy Question Results
| Aurora Ballot Question | Arapahoe County | Adams County | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APS Mill Levy 5A | Yes | 23,703 | 5,011 | 28714 |
| APS Mill Levy 5A | No | 14,413 | 2,669 | 17082 |
| APS Bond Issue 5B | Yes | 27,704 | 6,018 | 33722 |
| APS Bond Issue 5B | No | 10,388 | 1,828 | 12216 |
| Cherry Creek Mill Levy 4A | Yes | 58,800 | 2,919 | 61719 |
| Cherry Creek Mill Levy 4A | No | 46,578 | 3,244 | 49822 |
| Cherry Creek Bond Issue 4B | Yes | 57322 | 2,851 | 60173 |
| Cherry Creek Bond Issue 4B | No | 47511 | 3,185 | 50696 |
The no-charge bond and mill levy is possible, basically, because a previous bond issue is ending, and the new bond issue would take its place.
“The bond and the capital mill levy offset each other, and that’s why people would not pay anything more if they approve both of these measures,” said Corey Christiansen, APS spokesperson. “In fact, we can even lower the amount that we assess for a bond next year and still be able to take on a billion dollars worth of new bond funding.”
With the passage of the 2024 Bond Program, the mill rate will decrease from 21.900 mills to 15.900 mills, according to the Aurora Public Schools website. With both the bond and capital capital mill levy being passed, the total mill rate for Aurora taxpayers in 2025 would stay at 44.096, meaning there would be no net tax increase. If a home’s value remains unchanged from 2023 to 2024, the taxable mill rate will remain unchanged.
A traditional bond issue provides a one-time investment for significant projects like a new building or renovation, and a mill-levy override is for staff, mental health programs and after-school care. A new capital mill levy offers continuous funding for building maintenance and smaller-scale improvements.
“A mill-levy override is something we would use as a funding stream for people and programs,” Christiansen said. “The capital mill levy — that’s a new one that the state approved a few years ago so that school districts can be able to have a dedicated funding stream to be able to take care of maintenance on our buildings.”
Typically, those maintenance costs come out of the general fund, he said.
The $1 billion bond program invests in improving and enhancing school facilities, infrastructure and technology across the Aurora School District.
Some of the main initiatives that the bond issue will fund include:
Enhanced Health, Safety and Security: Investments in the safety and security of schools, ensuring students and staff have secure environments conducive to learning.
New Healthcare-Focused Job Skills Training High School: The construction of a new high school that focuses on healthcare job training, helping students develop skills for in-demand careers in healthcare.
Career & Technical Education Expansion: Expanding career and technical education opportunities for students to gain practical, real-world skills in various trades and technical fields.
The capital mill levy will free up money from the general fund to pay for ongoing building maintenance and smaller-scale improvements, attracting and retaining teachers by increasing salaries, mental health resources, counseling services and career, technology and skilled trades classes.
Although property values have increased, officials said Aurora Public Schools aren’t seeing much more funding overall. School funding is based on a per-student formula that adjusts annually for inflation. Aurora Public Schools will get a 5.2% increase for 2024-25, regardless of property tax revenue. The total funding stays the same, but the split between local and state contributions changes, according to the website.
Schools faced unpredictable financial burdens from the loss of federal pandemic relief funds and the rising costs due to inflation and higher labor and construction expenses. Because of this, school districts are increasingly turning to bond measures and mill levies for additional financial support.
“The billion word sounds like a really big number to a lot of folks, and it’s important to give context as to why we’ve reached that mark,” Johnson said. “And the reason is because of our construction costs.”
He explained that eight years ago, when they last asked for a bond from voters, it cost them $30 to $35 million to build a preschool through eighth-grade building, and now it would cost $80 to $90 million.
The district must build at least two new preschool through eighth grade buildings and a high school to keep up with the growth. A high school used to cost between $95 to $115 million and now costs $220 to $230 million, Christiansen said.
“That’s almost half a billion dollars right there,” Johnson said. “The dollars don’t stretch as much.”