Proof of progress with taxes - 27J Community Investments Report

27J Schools

Community Investments Report

It takes a strong investment to provide students with all the experiences, tools, training, equipment and facilities they need to be successful and competitive in today’s world.

27J Schools is financially accountable to you. We want you to know how your 27J tax dollar investment is being put to work and the early results we’re seeing.

This report breaks down how your hard-earned tax dollars are giving 27J students a competitive edge in preparing them for the next stage of their life. The 2021 school construction bond and 2022 mill levy override are funding new opportunities for every student. Take a look.

AT A GLANCE

What's been spent so far?

Mill Levy Override Investment by Category in millions

Donut graph of spending by millions showing $2.2 million spent on teacher and staff pay; $1 million spent on safety; $0.4 million spent on STEM/CTE; $3.5 million spent on charters; and $9.9 million remaining

Nearly half of this year’s funds from the mill levy override have been spent so far. So we’re right on track. The majority of the funds have been spent on charter schools because they receive their portion of the money right off the top. The rest of the money is budgeted to be spent throughout the year.

MILL LEVY OVERRIDE: DEEPER DIVE

Teacher & Support Staff Pay

Below are the 2023-2024 beginning teacher salaries for the five metro Adams County school districts. This shows the new 27J salary with the mill levy override investment.

Last year, 27J Schools was 17% below the market comparison for beginning teacher salaries. Thanks to the mill levy override-funded pay increases for teachers, we’ve gained 11.7% toward the average by offering a $52,000 salary.

Now we can better compete to hire high-quality teaching staff.

No mill levy override funds are used for administrative salary increases.

Of our $6.6 million planned budget for teacher and school staff pay, we’ve spent $2.2 million so far this year.

MILL LEVY OVERRIDE: DEEPER DIVE

Student Safety

This school year, we added 63 new safety staff to keep everyone in our buildings safe. New staff include:

39 Campus Supervisors

4 at each high school (12 total)
2 at Innovations & Options School
2 at each middle school (10)
1 at each elementary (13)
1 at Discovery Magnet
1 at Sakata Campus

15 School Safety Guards

School Safety Guard (SSG) is a new position in 27J which was created thanks to the mill levy override. SSG's are armed security personnel that guard our elementary schools.

1 SSG at each elementary school
2 SSG supervisors district-wide

6 School Resource Officers

Mill levy override funds allowed 27J to add six additional School Resource Officers across our middle and high schools.

3 District Safety Specialists

The 27J district safety team added a safety specialist for each our of service communities—Brighton, Commerce City and Thornton.

Of our $5.3 million planned budget for student safety, we’ve spent $999,000 so far this year.

MILL LEVY OVERRIDE: DEEPER DIVE

STEM/Career & Technical Education

Our community made historic investments in STEM/Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses through bond and mill levy override funding.

The 2021 Bond greatly expanded 27J's space for these workforce training programs by building a STEM/CTE center at each high school. We added STEM/CTE staff and programs using mill levy override funds. As a result, we've awarded 475 students at least one industry certificate or internship experience in just the last year.

Enrollment in STEM/CTE courses increased a full 59% just since we opened the new centers this school year!

More students are getting more opportunities to learn real-world career skills.

Enrollment across all STEM/CTE programs increased from 2,475 in 2022-23 to 4,177 in the first semester of the 2023-24 school year.

Of our $2.2 million planned budget for STEM/CTE, we’ve spent $398,000 so far this year.

AT A GLANCE

2021 Bond Investment by Category

in Millions

Donut graph of spending by millions showing $38.3 million spent on new schools; $88.5 million spent on STEM/CTE Centers; $9.1 million spent on schools/facilities; $5.1 million spent on safety/technology; $11 million spent on charter school improvements; and $388 million remaining

Nearly a quarter of the bond’s multi-year program funds have been spent so far. So we’re right on track. The majority of the funds have been spent on new schools and the new STEM/CTE centers at each high school. The rest of the money is budgeted to be spent in the coming years.

2021 BOND: DEEPER DIVE

Improvements Through Projects

Through the 2021 Bond, we've made historic investments in STEM/Career and Technical Education (CTE) with new state-of-the-art centers, new schools to accommodate growth, and ongoing improvements to schools, facilities, safety, and technology.

STEM/CTE Centers

Completed STEM/CTE center for each high school. The centers provide hands-on workplace skills in a convenient school location.

Southlawn Elementary

Completed Phase II of Southlawn Elementary. The school added more space for elementary students in 27J’s area of Commerce City.

Discovery Magnet K-8

Completed Discovery Magnet K-8 in Thornton. The school is the district’s first science-focused magnet school serving students throughout the district.