Denver Elections “Ballot Issue Notice” Booklet
Have you ever read a book without the author’s name on it. Have you ever read a newspaper report that doesn’t have a reporter’s name, have you ever sent a letter without a name.
Public writing should have a name. This is why political advertising requires a name as to who paid for it. Try getting a name for who-wrote-what for the “Ballot Issue Notice” book from Denver Elections Division. Good luck.
NO author identification as to who-wrote-what. This office will blame others if you ask them who-wrote-what. Denver Elections, this is a lack of responsibility for what YOU publish. Where else do we get a name for who-wrote-what in this ballot book, if not Denver Elections.
Ballot Issue 4A, Denver Public Schools is requesting $975 million in new debt to the Wall-street banks
The voter guides for Ballot Issue 4A tend to parrot school boards and popular opinion more-so than clear reasoning. The voter guides paint opponents of school debt from the typical perspective of less government everything. Both arguments are missing the point – the cost of this debt. Neither argument tries to make clear the enormous costs of this debt.
Let’s take a look at the Denver Elections wording for Ballot Issue 4A
Black ink is their story.
Red ink is my reply, Jason Bailey
Denver Elections on Ballot Issue 4A
“Without imposing any new tax, shall Denver Public Schools debt be increased by $975 million with a repayment cost of $1900 million to finance capital improvements of the district, including but not limited to:
Taxes will not increase on election day November 5, 2024. After that, anything goes. If we approve more debt, we then have two choices. We can either watch the schools decay as we eliminate 56% of our future budget on $2.2 billion dollars, or we can raise taxes by $1.2 billion dollars just to maintain status quo.
Asking the voters to shrink $2.2 billion dollars to $975 million is terrible financial strategy to begin with.
And by the way, my estimate of $2.2 billion in total cost is more accurate than the DPS proclamation of $1.9 billion. Many overall costs and fees are not accurately looked at by Denver Public Schools. Nonetheless, with either estimate, school debt is a counter-productive waste of valuable money.
- Improving student safety in school buildings and improving school security with more secure entrances, weapons detection, and crisis communications technology;
- Maintaining and renovating existing school buildings by replacing leaking roofs, making critical structural repairs, and addressing outdated electrical and fire systems;
- Providing cooling systems for high-temperature classrooms and schools that lack air conditioning;
- Addressing overcrowding and reducing class size by building new schools and expanding capacity in existing schools;
- Improving learning environments in older school buildings by upgrading science and computer labs and modernizing classroom instructional technology;
- Building and improving spaces for workforce and career readiness courses, as well as vocational, technical, and trade programs.
School safety is high priority, we agree on that. We will buy twice as much school safety, per tax dollar, if we do not use debt to get it done. Basic math.
We need to vote NO on 4A so that we have enough money, in the future, to keep the lights on. Schools without sufficient money to keep the lights on are not going to be more safe, they are going to be less safe.
Maintenance and A/C are high priority, we agree on that. We will buy twice as much maintenance and A/C, per tax dollar, when we do not use debt to get it done.
School debt is a terrible reduction in actual ability to buy anything – using debt cuts our spending power in half. Everyone needs to be safe and with comfortable classrooms. Without debt we buy twice as much, and more, per tax dollar. Basic math.
And other capital acquisitions or improvements; and shall the taxes authorized at the district’s bond elections in 1998, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 be extended and authorized to be used to pay the debt authorized at this election in addition to the debt authorized at such prior elections; and shall the mill levy be increased in any year, without limitation of rate but only in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such debt or any refunding debt (or to create a reserve for such payment); and may such debt be evidenced by the issuance of general obligation bonds or other multiple fiscal year obligations that be sold in one series or more, for a price above or below the principal amount thereof, on terms and conditions, and with such maturities as permitted by law and as the district may determine?”
Did I read that right! Debt packages from 1998, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. No wonder the schools have no money. We’re in a vortex of debt that is ruining the public budgets as we give our money to the banks. And the school board just wants more of what is not working – more debt. Banks love government debt. Billionaires love government debt.
Fiscal information on DPS
Total District Fiscal Year Spending
Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Spending
2024-2025 (estimated) $1,646,189,638
2023-2024 (actual) $1,550,870,445
2022-2023 (actual) $1,466,768,935
2021-2022 (actual) $1,340,032,466
2020-2021 (actual) $1,212,435,775
Overall percentage change from 2020-2021 to 2024-2025: 35.78%
Overall dollar change from 2020-2021 to 2024-2025: $433,753,863
Information on District’s Proposed Debt
Ballot issue 4A:
Principal Amount of Proposed Bonds: Not to exceed $975,000,000
Maximum Annual District Repayment Cost: Not to exceed $180,000,000
Total District Repayment Cost: Not to exceed $1,900,000,000
Information on District’s Current Debt
Principal Amount Outstanding Debt: $1,910,152,000
Maximum Annual Repayment Cost: $190,831,824
Remaining Total Repayment Cost: $2,843,864,281
Excluding from debt are enterprise and annual appropriation obligations.
Forever debt. As you can see, Denver Public Schools makes interest payments to the banks, continually, while never getting the principal money paid off.
Mostly just paying interest to the banks, month after month, year after year. Money from the schools, the teachers, the kids – from their budget – and then handed to the banks.
DPS sees no need to pay-off principal money when the banks line-up to keep this damaging addiction to debt strong as ever. DPS debt is like college debt, except for K-12 kids. Let’s call it what it is, Child debt.
Summary of Written Comments FOR Ballot Issue 4A
Ballot Issue 4A will make a $975 million investment in our schools, all without raising your taxes.
Debt is NOT an investment, it’s a liability. We invest in our schools by cutting off the banks. School debt feeds the banks.
If we vote for more debt, either we allow for our public schools to decay, or taxes go up to pay for interest, fees, and other expenses – these are the choices. School debt is short-sided nonsense causing enormous long-term damage to public budgets.
This bond issue will fund vital projects for Denver’s kids. Such as maintaining and renovating existing school buildings by replacing leaking roofs, making critical structural repairs, and addressing outdated electrical and fire systems. Providing cooling systems for high-temperature classrooms and schools that lack air conditioning. Building and improving spaces for workforce and career readiness courses and vocational, technical, and trade programs. Expanding and improving mental, behavioral, and physical health clinics for students at DPS schools.
Bonds pay for nothing. Every single dollar needs to be repaid from hard-earned tax money plus enormous amounts of interest, fees, and other expenses. Every time we use bonds we pay twice as much, on average, and more, for that school, for that maintenance, for that A/C.
Debt is a terrible reduction of actual service for the schools. And debt is a terrible reduction in teacher pay, pay that doesn’t materialize.
Learning environments are critical to student achievement, and this measure will improve our classrooms for teachers and students. It will reduce class sizes and school overcrowding in far northeast Denver, where the student population is growing rapidly. Our kids badly need cooling systems for older classrooms that sometimes reach temperatures as high as 92-degrees during the school day.
DPS buildings without A/C is from several decades of school board decision making, poor decision making pertaining to A/C budgeting. More debt will only leave the school districts with more serious problems in the near future.
We need to accomplish A/C without more debt. Without debt we have more budget for A/C, including tomorrow. Tomorrow is just a day away.
This measure will make critical repairs to existing school buildings like leaking roofs, structural deficiencies, and faulty electrical and fire systems. This saves taxpayers money by lengthening the useful life of existing buildings rather than replacing them with new ones.
Without debt we will buy twice as much critical repair, per tax dollar. School debt is a terrible reduction in critical repair spending, over time, as we give 56% of our budget to the banks. Debt does not save taxpayer money – that is a lie. Debt costs twice as much, and more, per spend.
This measure allows us to keep funding in the classroom. DPS is legally required to make critical repairs and safety upgrades to schools. Without this funding measure, those facility improvements will have to be paid for with funds that would otherwise go to attracting and retaining quality teachers and improving classroom instruction.
When we stop giving large amounts of the DPS budget to the banks, we’ll have more money to attract and retain quality teachers by paying these teachers more money, a lot more money. Debt benefits the banks, no debt benefits better teacher pay. Basic math.
This measure makes big investments in students’ well-being at a time when youth mental health is considered a public health emergency. It will expand mental health and physical health clinics to more schools, giving more kids access to free care and counseling all across Denver.
The psychotherapy industry is out of control. Stop telling everyone they’re nuts so that you can bill the government for large amounts of money.
Summary of Written Comments AGAINST Ballot Issue 4A
Oppose Issue 4A for the Denver School Bond Issue. While we all want to support our Public Schools, this gigantic $975 million bond issue is TOO BIG and prevents suffering taxpayers from getting a tax rate decrease they need. We should OPPOSE Issue 4A for these reasons:
Shrinking future school budgets to 44% as we give 56% of the budget to the banks is terrible financial strategy to begin with – whether it’s one dollar, one million dollars, or one billion dollars. Any level of school debt is a counter-productive waste of money.
Shrinking a future budget to 44% will leave any budget needing another hit of debt. School debt is a bad addiction, a very damaging addiction.
School debt doesn’t make sense in the first place, regardless of size.
1. While not increasing tax rates, this initiative EXTENDS taxes approved in 6 different elections that OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE EXPIRED! The property taxpayers could have used a DECREASE in taxes after the tremendous hike due to property value increases.
Debt always takes more money, twice as much and more. Basic math.
Tax payer money is the only way to pay for our public schools. Whether you think we pay too much in tax, or you think that our public schools deserve more tax money – either way – school debt is a counter-productive waste of money.
If you’re on the left, know that debt will eliminate 56% of $2.2 billion in future budget. If you’re on the right, know that buying anything with debt takes twice as many hard-earned tax dollars.
2. This bond issue is TOO BIG – the $975 million bond issue will actually cost $1.9 billion after
interest is paid! Many of the items included in this bond should have been paid out of the regular
budget. The Denver Schools got the benefit of a windfall property tax increase due to increases in property values, yet instead of using that windfall for maintenance and upgrades, the schools are asking for more money, Denver residents have suffered too high an increase in cost of living already. ENOUGH!
If school debt made sense, this debt would make sense, but school debt does not make sense. School debt cheats the schools, the kids, the teachers.
3. As they are extending previously approved taxes, this bond money as associated taxes are not subject to the TABOR cap on total revenues generated. If consumer spending increases the school district gets an increase in tax revenues without asking the taxpayers. Every time property values go up, the schools get a windfall increase to their budget while taxpayers are faced with higher tax bills. This is exactly what caused the uproar over increased property tax bills in this last year. The total tax revenue should be capped and not allowed to increase, with tax rates being decreased if property values go up so that the total revenue remains the same.
School debt is a counter-productive waste of valuable money regardless of any taxing situation or Tabor laws. If tabor laws make budgeting difficult, debt will only add another layer of difficulty. One layer of difficulty is better than two layers of difficulty.
4. In the fine print at the end of the issue, this ballot issue allows the INCREASE IN MILL TAX RATE ON PROPERTY if needed to cover the cost of the bond, without further vote of the people.
Much of the content here for ballot issue 4A is a bunch of nonsense, spinning this, spinning that, a bunch of nonsense parroting the DPS Board.
5. There has actually been an ongoing decrease in school enrollment. Why isn’t the Board consolidating the school population into already updated buildings. Give taxpayers a break and VOTE NO on 4A
Give the schools a break, give the kids a break, give the teachers better pay – vote NO on 4A. ###
CitizensforNOnewdebt.org
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