District overview
Weld County School District No. RE-5J
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Who runs Weld RE-5J schools and how are they funded?
Weld County School District RE-5J serves Johnstown and Milliken (in Weld and Larimer counties) with about 4,000 students. A five-member elected board meets on the first and third Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the district office in Milliken, plus work sessions. Most money comes from the state school finance formula. Voters also approved a mill levy override that provides about $4 million a year and expires in 2030; the board put its continuation on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot.
Local override
Board discussion on Aug. 19 described the override as about $4 million a year in revenue, with the district preparing for a $4 million cut if it ended in 2030.
Ballot decisions
On Aug. 19 the board approved the override-continuation question and declined to place an additional override or a bond on the November 2026 ballot.
Facility needs
Staff feedback listed renovating Pioneer Ridge Elementary, converting Milliken Intermediate and completing Roosevelt High School as priorities.
Governance
Michael Wailes is president. Three seats were filled in Nov. 2025 and two seats have terms ending Nov. 2027. Two student directors also sit with the board.
Budget totals, final votes and the Nov. 3 election result were not in the collected records; figures come from agendas and auto-generated captions.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Mill levy override continuation (Nov. 3, 2026 ballot)
on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballotThe existing override expires in 2030. The board approved the ballot question Aug. 19 and declined added override and bond questions.
- Staff feedback on bond and override priorities
- Board update on planning for November ballot
- Board approves continuation question; declines bond and added override
- Election day
Funding
Property tax override per year
2026-27 budget, teacher agreement and salary schedules
on June 17 agendaThe 2026-27 budget was introduced June 8 and listed for adoption June 17 alongside the JMEA agreement and salary schedules; amounts were not collected.
- Proposed budget introduced
- Budget, agreement and salary schedules on agenda
Funding
State formula, local taxes and override
Recent news
View the news feed →Resources
Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Built from 44 board records: agendas posted on the district's Diligent Community portal (regular meetings, work sessions, special meetings and retreats, Nov. 2025 to Nov. 2026) and auto-generated captions from 20 board-meeting recordings on the district YouTube channel. Minutes and most attachments were not collected.
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