Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado

Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado

Dorland

Jeffco Schools Wants a Mill Levy Increase

Recent meetings from the Jeffco School Board Partnership for Fiscal Sustainability discussed raising the mill levy and how to market that decision to residents. This demonstrates yet another government body shaping propaganda to support a future ballot measure. Jeffco Schools, like Lakewood and Jefferson County, hired a consultant to help with a mill levy question. At this point, a community survey has asked about revenue generation. Budget presentations show data about raising the levy. Budget reductions are discussed as a part of the solution.

The point of these meetings was to “prepare and involve the community to support future revenue generation,” as seen in the slide below. This is using district resources to get resident support in what will likely be a ballot question on the mill levy. School communications are also a tool to discuss any upcoming cuts or revenue changes.

Jeffco School Board Does Not Add Trust Accountability Measures

The Jeffco School Board can’t evaluate the Superintendent on “trust” if they can’t figure out how to add it to her evaluation metrics. Even though such metrics have been repeatedly suggested, the board is unable or unwilling to figure out how to increase accountability, shown by this year’s 4 to 1 vote to pass the evaluation without more accountability.

During the 2025 evaluation approval, School Board Member Danielle Varda asked how to implement the new evaluation metrics the school board agreed to add in previous sessions. The rest of the school board refused to take the time.

Two new evaluation metrics were suggested in 2025, the main one being a new measure for trust, the other being for test scores.

In what sounded like a demand, Superintendent Dorland asked for co-accountability if a new evaluation measure based on trust was going to be implemented.

Some would say that sounded a lot like the statement, “if I go down, you go down.”

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