General Overview: 2026 Mill Levy Override Exploration

To continue providing a high-quality education for students, RFSD is exploring a local solution to be able to retain and recruit amazing teachers and staff. For this reason, the district is exploring an approximately $4 million Mill Levy Override (MLO) for November 2026 as a local strategy to address these financial challenges and support the long-term stability of our schools.

What it means

How We Got Here

The State Funding Gap: Why Now?

  • The Funding Shift: Colorado has changed how it distributes money. Funding is being shifted away from districts with high costs of living—like ours—to other areas of the state.
  • A Limited Window: To help us manage this loss, the state is allowing a temporary window (until 2030) for local communities to vote on increasing their own support.
  • Local Decision: We are talking to our community now to see if a November 2026 Mill Levy Override (MLO) is the right local solution to fill this gap.

Our Priority: Keeping Great Teachers

  • Teachers = Student Success: Experienced teachers are the #1 factor in how well our students do. When we lose teachers to high turnover, student learning and relationships suffer.
  • The Cost of Living Crisis: RFSD is one of the most expensive regions in Colorado. Current state funding simply doesn't keep up with the cost of living in the Roaring Fork Valley.
  • Protecting Our Staff: About 85% of our budget goes to salaries and benefits. When revenue drops, it directly threatens our ability to pay our staff a livable wage.
  • Beyond Housing: While our staff housing initiatives help, they aren't enough to cover the overall loss in state funding. We need a broader solution to keep our educators in our classrooms.
children reading

Supporting Our Teachers, Supporting Our Students

We are exploring ~4milion for MLO
Because teachers are number 1
State funding doesn't cover cost
We have a temporary window for local action
We’re exploring a local solution to retain and recruit amazing teachers.
High-quality teachers are the #1 in-school factor for student success.
Because Teachers are #1
Exploring 4m Mlo for Nov 2025

Important Information

Name
A message from our Board of Education President, Lindsay DeFrates
A Message from our Superintendent Anna Cole
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MLO: Frequently Asked Questions

    What is a mill levy override?

    A mill levy override is a voter-approved property tax that provides ongoing local funding for a school district. These funds are typically used to support operational needs—such as staffing—that are not fully funded by the state.

    How would MLO funds be used if approved?

    If approved by the Board of Education, MLO funds would be used to increase staff salaries to help retain and recruit high-quality teachers and staff, supporting staffing stability and protecting educational quality for students. This is the current priority developed by the MLO Exploratory Committee.

    What happens if an MLO is not approved?

    Without additional local funding or significant changes at the state level, RFSD may be unable to offer competitive staff salaries or cost-of-living adjustments and could face further reductions to staffing, operations, or benefits. Any of these outcomes would negatively impact staff stability and, in turn, student learning.

    How much would the proposed MLO cost taxpayers?

    The proposed MLO would generate approximately $4 million annually, at an estimated cost of approximately $16 per $100,000 of actual home value and $56 per $100,000 of commercial value. (Final estimates will be shared as part of the exploration process.)

    How do strong schools benefit the broader community?

    Strong schools benefit the entire community—not just families with students enrolled. High-quality schools help stabilize property values, attract and retain families and employers, and support long-term economic vitality by developing a skilled future workforce.