Summit School District wants 10 minutes of your time to talk about its hotly contested 10-year master plan.
This week the district sent an online survey to parents, faculty and more, including Krystal 93.
It comes with questions about school funding, investment strategy and the hottest topic in the district these days – possibly school consolidation. Some are multiple choice. Others are open-ended.
In a recent letter, superintendent Dr. Tony Byrd reminds parents that money is tighter than ever. Enrollment, he writes, has been falling for three consecutive years, including this year, which means the district gets less money from the state department of education. Colorado gives money to schools on a “per-pupil” basis, meaning larger and growing districts get more funding.
The master plan survey highlights these figures, claiming Summit gets 15% less than state and 24% less than national average:
- $12,637.20 per student in Summit (2023)
- $14,858 per student in Colorad0 (2023 average)
- $16,526 per student in the U.S. (2023 average)
State lawmakers, including Speaker of the House Rep. Julie McCluskie – a onetime Summit Schools employee – are slowly rewriting the school funding formula.
HB25-1320 revises state law to help small, rural districts capture the money they desperately need. It also reels in attempts to funnel taxpayer money to charter schools. Changes, however, are spread over the next five years, and the newest formula does not take effect until 2030.
Summit is a smaller district, and it might eventually benefit from these changes, but Summit also has a long history of strong support for bonds and mil levies – until recently.
A bond worth $196 million failed in 2024. At the time, many voters found at least one part of the bond they did not support, like money for teacher housing.
Today, district leaders recognize they asked for too much. They hope to return this November with a new, smaller bond question, written with the help of a research firm. Look for another survey from that firm in May.
Take the Summit Schools master plan survey in English or Spanish by April 26. (Heads up: The form stopped working for us on a question about facilities and investment. If you change your answer in the 1-5 ranking section, it pulls a Gandalf and won’t let you pass.)