The Jefferson County Board of Education placed two property tax increase measures totaling $133 million on the November ballot.

The Jefferson County Board of Education voted Thursday night to send two property tax increase measures to voters this November, seeking a combined $133 million to fix aging school buildings and boost pay for teachers and staff.

The vote came after the district cut $43 million from its budget last year. Board members said the district still faces a shortfall that could threaten programs and jobs if voters reject the new funding.

"Even though we cut costs, we've tried to live within our means. It's still not enough, and so we're going back to the voters to ask for their investment in our schools," said Board of Education President Michelle Applegate.

The first measure is a $60 million special purpose mill levy dedicated to building infrastructure, safety upgrades and technology. Applegate pointed to specific failures that have already disrupted classes.

"We have had situations last year where we've had school days where schools had to close because of things like sewer line failures, roof leaks, heating and cooling system failures," Applegate said.

The second measure is a $73 million general purpose mill levy that would go toward compensating and retaining teachers and staff, along with expanding career and technical education offerings for students. Applegate said that funding is tied directly to what students can do after graduation.

"Really, the programming that we can offer our students that readies them for after high school," she said.

If both pass, property owners would pay an additional $3.50 per month for every $100,000 of home value. For a home valued at $650,000, that works out to just under $23 a month.

Ahead of the vote, current and former district employees pressed the board to move forward. Jon DeStefano, executive director of the Jeffco Administrators Association, described the physical state of some school buildings in blunt terms.

"We're talking about things like broken down plumbing, deteriorating concrete walkways and leaking roofs," DeStefano said. "Our students and educators deserve better than that."

Not everyone in the room supported the measures. Chuck Adams, a Golden resident, told the board he opposed adding to residents' tax bills.

"I oppose asking Jefferson County families for another $133 million in property taxes," Adams said. "Families are already struggling with rising taxes, insurance, groceries and utilities."

Devin Mills, a father of two Jeffco students who lives in Evergreen and co-chairs the One JeffCo Campaign committee, said he has felt the tax increases in his own household budget but sees the tradeoff playing out in his kids' classrooms.

"The impact on my family has been tremendous just from those hundreds of dollars that are going out the door," Mills said. "The impacts have already been large in my kids' schools."

Applegate said the district has already exhausted many of its options for closing the gap without going to voters. She laid out what could follow if both measures fail in November.

"Everything is on the table, and that looks like shortened workforce, shortened work days, reduction of benefits, things that will massively impact our community," Applegate said.

Mills said he is hoping it does not come to that. The district has already cut $43 million from its budget over the past year, and Mills said further cuts would mean more of the same for families like his.

Jefferson County Public Schools, headquartered in Golden, is one of the largest districts in Colorado. Board members said the district's finances have been strained by state funding formulas and enrollment shifts, on top of the rising cost of maintaining aging buildings. The $43 million in cuts made last year touched staffing and programs across the district, board members said, and they described the two new levies as an attempt to stop further reductions rather than expand services beyond current levels.

Both measures will appear as separate questions on the November ballot, meaning voters could approve one, both, or neither. The outcome will determine how much additional funding the district collects starting with the next budget cycle. Board members said the results will shape decisions on staffing levels, building repairs and course offerings for the 2026-27 school year.