St. Vrain seeks to address its highest-priority capital facility needs, without imposing any new school district property taxes. The bond improvements will be focused on safety and security, infrastructure upgrades, updating classrooms and labs, adding space to enhance and expand career and technical education (CTE) programming, and addressing overcrowding and future enrollment growth via classroom additions and new schools.

No. The voter-approved 2024 bond will not increase taxes and will not increase the district’s existing maximum annual debt service. This is possible because of existing community investment, strong financial management, and increased resources tied to population growth and economic strength.

Voter-approved bond measures are long-term loans that are used by school districts to fund brick-and-mortar-type projects. These types of loans allow school districts to access upfront funds to more quickly address building renovations, school additions, new schools, and/or other capital improvements.

The bond proposal was developed to impact all students and every school in the district.

Through strong financial management, budget outperformance, debt restructuring, and early debt payoff, the District has saved taxpayers more than $82 million over the past two decades, including $36.8 million this past December.

The District’s facilities team reviewed more than 1,500 facility needs that were identified by comprehensive facilities audits conducted by district staff, architects, and engineers. Building and site needs were also identified by educational and operational department leadership, maintenance staff, charter school leadership, and a student advisory council. This planning process took many months to complete. The bond proposal recommendations were reviewed by a large community task force that included business owners, elected officials, community leaders, parents, teachers, and others who unanimously supported the proposal.

The bond calls for expanding the District’s nationally-recognized Innovation Center and constructing five new school buildings, including a new Montessori School in Longmont, a new high school in the Erie/Tri-Town area, a new PK-8 school in Mead, a new elementary school in Erie, and a career and technical education (CTE) center located on the campus of the new high school. A number of secure entry vestibule projects are also part of the bond.

CTE programming would be enhanced and expanded with the addition of a new CTE center in the Erie/Tri-Towns area and the expansion of the Innovation Center in Longmont. Additionally, the new facility will significantly increase capacity at the Career Elevation and Technology Center in Longmont to provide more students with opportunities to engage in cutting-edge programming in high-growth fields such as advanced manufacturing, welding, and healthcare, as well as earn industry-leading credentials. The District is committed to providing more skilled trades classes focused on the following areas:

• Construction management
• Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems
• Computer systems, cybersecurity, and virtual reality
• Healthcare and biosciences
• Manufacturing, including fabrication, welding, and electronics
• Aviation, drones, and robotic technology

Many of the repairs and renovations that are part of the 2024 bond will improve building efficiency, including the replacement of outdated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that have reached the end of their useful life, new roofing, window replacement, exterior envelope upgrades, and related improvements. The new school buildings, and the addition to the Innovation Center, will also be highly efficient.

The District’s previous construction projects have resulted in significant economic impacts to local contractors, restaurants, lumber yards, gas stations, retailers, hotels, and other businesses. The same would hold true for the construction projects that are part of the 2024 bond proposal. 

None. Bond dollars can only be used for bricks and mortar projects and cannot be used to increase salaries or hire administrators. St. Vrain has one of the lowest percentages of funding for administrators of Colorado’s large school districts (around 6-8%). While St. Vrain keeps administrative costs low, the district has remained committed to increasing salaries for teachers, bus drivers, nutrition service workers, custodians, and other critical support staff, making significant gains in salary levels over the past decade. St. Vrain has one of the highest starting salaries for teachers in the Denver Metro Area.

Yes. As the district has continued to strengthen and advance student achievement and opportunities, it has also focused heavily on strong financial management and systems that will ensure the best use of community resources and investment. This has included debt refinancing, payment structuring, and early debt payoff strategies which has saved taxpayers approximately $82.3 million over the past two decades. This includes $36.8 million saved in December alone, a testament to the district’s conservative financial planning and its dedication to the community’s economic well-being. The $82.3 million in savings does not go back to the district for other uses, and is solely for the benefit of the taxpayers. For property taxes collected in 2024, the district continues these efforts and has reduced the property tax mill levy rate by 1.147 mills. 

The District has consistently delivered on time and within budget when it comes to previous bond programs.

Yes. The District will use reserves to address certain capital improvements that are not addressed by the 2024 bond.

District voters approved a $260 million bond in 2016. That bond focused on repairing school buildings, addressing safety and security needs, improving energy efficiency, making classroom additions, and constructing three new school buildings to support student enrollment.

For many years, Longmont was experiencing most of the population growth and economic development within the District. That now holds true for the Carbon Valley area. However, new schools and bond improvements will positively impact every community within the district’s boundaries.

As with previous bond programs, a large percentage of the work will be done in the summer months to minimize disruptions. Safety remains the top priority with all construction projects.