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District overview

Douglas County School District No. Re 1

Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.

Castle View High School
Tewy · by-sa

How is Douglas County School District paid for?

Large suburban district funded by the state per student plus local property taxes, now asking voters for a $54 million override

Douglas County School District Re 1 serves about 61,000 students in 89 schools south of Denver, including several district-authorized charter schools. Colorado pays most operating money through a per-student formula, and local property taxes cover part of it. Voters can approve extra property tax for operations, called a mill levy override. The board asked voters for a new $54 million override on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot.

Override ask

$54 million a year starting in 2027; about $21.4M would fund a 4% raise and $13M would go to charter schools.

Bonds

A June 2026 bond sale resolution covers Series 2026 general obligation bonds under an existing voter-approved authorization of up to $270 million.

Reserves

A February 2026 presentation said the adopted budget drew down $18.6M of fund balance and left unassigned reserves near 7% of spending.

Who decides

Seven elected directors by district. Susan Meek is president. Business meetings are usually the second and fourth Tuesday at 5 p.m.

The posted documents show the board's plans and requests. The Nov. 3 election result was not in the sources read, so whether the override passed is not established here.

Where the district stands

Mill levy override requested on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballotverified
54,000,000 USD per year
Share of override planned for a 4% raise for teachers and staffverified
21,400,000 USD per year
Proposed cost to buy and refurbish a central office buildingverified
29,000,000 USD, one time
Fund balance drawn down in 2025-26 budgetverified
18,600,000 USD

Major projects

2026 mill levy override

on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot; result not confirmed

Voters decide whether to raise district property taxes by $54 million a year for pay, charter schools, safety, music, math and reading, career classes and special-needs programs.

Next: [object Object]
  1. Funding needs presentation
  2. Board places override on ballot
  3. Election day

Funding

Local property tax override

New Elementary Schools 50 and 51

boundaries set; names under consideration Sept. 29, 2026

Two new elementary schools in Lyric and Sterling Ranch. Boundaries moved some neighborhoods from nearby schools.

Next: [object Object]
  1. ES 50 boundary recommendation
  2. Final boundaries before the board
  3. Naming resolution on agenda

Funding

2024 bond

Central office consolidation

proposed June 9, 2026

Staff proposed moving about 500 central-office staff into one Meridian building bought for about $29 million, funded by land sales and reserves.

Next: [object Object]
  1. Presentation and purchase agreement before the board

Funding

Land sales, capital funds, reserves

Local elections & school board members

Elections & votes

Board electionScheduled

Board of Education election (Districts A, C and F)

Douglas County School District Re 1

Three of seven director seats are up at the November 2027 coordinated election.

Official source · verified Nov 7, 2026

OverrideScheduled

$54 million mill levy override for district operating costs

Douglas and Elbert counties · $54,000,000

Raises district property taxes by $54 million a year starting in 2027 and lifts the override cap to the legal maximum; funds 4% raises, charter share, programs. Result not yet confirmed in sources read.

Official source · verified Nov 7, 2026

School board members

Recent news

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Resources

Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.

Explore resources →

Built from board agendas, attachments, committee pages and meeting recordings on the district's meeting portal and website (Nov 2025 to Nov 2026).

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