District overview
Elizabeth School District
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How is Elizabeth School District paid for?
Elizabeth School District serves Elizabeth and nearby areas of Elbert County, Colorado. Its general fund comes mostly from the state school-finance formula and a local property-tax levy of about $15 million. A five-member elected Board of Education adopts the budget, sets policy and hires the superintendent, Dr. Ted Knight (since mid-2026). Part of the general fund passes through to the Legacy Academy charter school and the new Independence Classical Academy.
2026-27 budget
$34,439,003 appropriated across all funds, including $22,079,653 in the general fund; projected general fund balance of $755,519.
Staffing cuts
Staff reported $2,517,127 in salary and benefit reductions for 2026-27, including administrative jobs left unfilled and some teaching positions reduced.
Charter pass-through
$6,894,986 goes to Legacy Academy (about 715 students) and $719,260 to Independence Classical Academy (about 60 students).
Cash flow
The district uses a state Treasury interest-free loan each fall to cover months when property tax payments are small.
The collected record does not show the final 2026-27 enrollment count or any audit finding; the agendas for some meetings were not readable.
Where the district stands
Major projects
2026-27 budget reductions
budget adopted June 23, 2026; reductions in force approved June 29The district declared fiscal exigency on June 9, 2026 and cut about $2.5 million in salary and benefits for 2026-27 while trying to keep cuts away from classrooms.
- Board declares fiscal exigency
- Board approves 2026-27 budget
- Board approves staff transfers and reductions in force
- Board approves interest-free Treasury loan resolution
Funding
Savings from salary and benefit reductions in the general fund
Recent news
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Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Built from board minutes and budget documents posted on the district site and 29 meeting recordings with auto-generated captions, November 2025 to October 2026.
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