Update on 5A and 5B

Update on 5A and 5B
Posted on 11/09/2022

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November 9, 2022


Dear DCSD Families,


I want to sincerely thank our amazing community for joining together over the past few months in support of ballot initiatives 5A: Mill Levy Override and 5B: Bond. We came so close! As of this morning, 5A received over 49% support and 5B received almost 47%. While there are still votes to be counted, it is unlikely that the results will change. However, I believe that we should be celebrating the amazing gains in support we have made in such a short time!


Our efforts to educate the community about how DCSD is funded and the need for additional dollars began less than six months ago. Normally, these types of measures would have a 12-18 month runway. So while it’s disappointing that 5A and 5B did not pass, it is very encouraging to see how much community support for these measures has increased. In May, 5A polled at 39% and 5B at 36% - I can still hear the pollster telling me that it is impossible to move the needle when starting that low, and look how close we came! If we were able to move the needle by over 10 percentage points in a few months, imagine what we can do with another 12 months. I want you to know that my leadership team and I are absolutely committed to continuing the work of educating our community and we are optimistic that with additional time, the MLO and Bond can and will pass. 


The way our community joined together over the past few months to support these initiatives was inspiring and really demonstrates Douglas County’s commitment to our schools, educators, and of course, our kids. It was amazing to watch people who had bitter disagreements just eight months ago, come together and fight for what really matters - our students, our staff, and our school district. I would like to especially thank the citizens involved in the Invest in DCSD campaign committee (especially the committee chair, Christa Gilstrap), as well as staff, board members, parents and community members who volunteered countless hours to knock on doors and educate our residents about the need for this funding. 


Please know that we are not done with our work to educate residents about our need to be competitive and to invest in our capital infrastructure - this is just a delay. And, in the meantime, our school district will be okay.

  • Pay will not be frozen or reduced for any employee classification. State revenue is predicted to increase, and DCSD will be in a position to keep its new licensed salary schedules in place without dipping into fund balance and to continue to make modest increases to pay for all of our employee groups. While we won’t be able to pay staff competitively relative to our neighbors just yet, we will continue to move forward as we have been. 
  • We will keep educating our community about the need for funding. Over the coming months we will continue our efforts to educate residents about how funding works and our needs moving forward to ensure that we can continue to deliver on our commitment to provide our students with bright futures!
  • We will engage with our community to create plans to address enrollment growth and declines. We will continue to evaluate areas with enrollment growth as well as enrollment decline and we will engage our community in our plans to address both.
 

The biggest take away from this election is a positive one. The way our staff, families and community came together to work towards a common goal was incredibly inspiring. It is clear that Douglas County residents are absolutely invested in doing what’s right for our kids (we just have to reach more of those residents!). I remain optimistic about our future and I stand with each of you – ready to fight for our students, our staff, and our amazing school district, for as long as it takes. Because our kids deserve nothing less. 


Thank you for your continued partnership and support. I look forward to seeing what the future will bring. 


Erin Kane

Superintendent

Douglas County School District


P.S. On a related note, according to unofficial election results, it appears that state Proposition FF: Healthy Meals For All Public School Students will be passed by voters. While this was not a DCSD initiative, this ballot measure will affect our school district as it provides free meals to all public school students beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. Our Nutrition Services department will provide more information about this program in the coming months.  


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In compliance with Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and Colorado law, the Douglas County School District RE-1 does not unlawfully discriminate against otherwise qualified students, employees, applicants for employment, or members of the public on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services. Discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on age, genetic information, and conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth is also prohibited in accordance with state and/or federal law. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees, and members of the public. The School District's Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator to address complaints alleging sexual harassment under Title IX is Aaron Henderson, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, [email protected], 303-387-0127.

Outside Agencies

Complaints regarding violations of Title VI, (race, national origin), Title IX (sex, gender), Section 504/ADA (handicap or disability), may be filed directly with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1244 North Speer Blvd., Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204. Complaints regarding violations of Title VII (employment) and the ADEA (prohibiting age discrimination in employment) may be filed directly with the Federal Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 303 E. 17th Ave., Suite 510, Denver, CO 80202, or the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 1050, Denver, CO 80202.

NOTICE OF DESTRUCTION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORDS

Special Education records which have been collected by Douglas County School District related to the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of special education in the district, must be maintained under state and federal laws for the period of five (5) years after special education services have ended for the student. Special education services end when the student is no longer eligible for services, graduates, or completes his/her educational program at age 21, or moves from the district. This notification is to inform parents/guardians and former students of Douglas County School District's intent to destroy the special education records of students who exited special education services as of June 30, 2016. These records will be destroyed in accordance with state law unless the parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student notifies the school district otherwise. After five years, the records are no longer useful to the district, but may be useful to the parent/guardian or former student in applying for social security benefits, rehabilitation services, college entrance, etc. The parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student may request a copy of the records by requesting the records at this link ( Douglas County School District Transcripts and Records Requests ).