Two elections ago, the voters of Clear Creek County passed a historic bond measure, infusing dollars into each of our schools and laying the groundwork for our transition to expeditionary learning. As we approach the holidays and begin thinking of all that we are thankful for, the Board of Education wants to take the opportunity to thank our community once again for your support of our district, our learners, our educators and of course our facilities.
We are now several months into a four-day school week. We know change and transition can be challenging. We are so happy to hear great stories from our school community as they participate in COMPASS day in the ways that work for them. Our kids have experienced drum lessons, career coaching, outdoor learning, owl pellet dissection and a host of other activities. There are so many ways all of us can engage in these activities, we can’t wait to see what comes next! Thank you.
We are also well on our way with capital projects – a huge focus of the board of education right now. We are the first to acknowledge that nearly every project presents challenges, but we would be remiss if we didn’t celebrate the successful advancement of bond projects throughout our community. The roof at Georgetown Community School is nearly complete and the Design Oversight Group is working hard to finalize the rest of the plans – including the kitchen improvements that will provide warm food for our learners in Georgetown. The preschool expansion at King Murphy will be celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be announced soon. This expansion will introduce our youngest learners to each other, to the outdoors, and to a lovely new space. We hope you will join us in the celebration. Of course, we are acutely aware there are still many projects to complete, and they all will face their challenges, but the Board’s commitment to timely completion is unwavering.
There is never a perfect time to request a tax increase, but there is no doubt the district asked at the right time. Consider this, had the district secured the same amount of funding today as we did in 2019, we estimate it would have cost voters an additional $13.7M, or a 24% increase over 2019 numbers. This is a direct result of rising interest rates and the global economy. So, while we hear of budget increases, supply chain challenges, and other hard things, we are as confident as ever that the decision to bring forward a bond in 2019 was not only the right decision but made at the right time. We remain committed to successful projects, transparent communication, and improved learner outcomes and experiences.
As the holiday season approaches, your Board of Education can’t help but reflect on the things we have accomplished and all that we have to be thankful for.
