Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to remove inaccurate information about the length of Brian Tracey’s tenure at Summit School District.

Julenne Moore is a French teacher at Summit Middle School with 23 years at Summit School District under her belt. She said she recently learned she must make a choice between position adjustment with reduced pay and benefits or “displacement” next year due to what she was told were financially challenging times. 

District employees joined Moore at a May 1 Summit School District Board of Education meeting to formally ask for the introduction of a ballot initiative that could increase funding to address gaps and better financially support teachers.

What they asked for was a mill levy override ballot initiative. 

A mill is a tax on property. One mill represents a $1 payment on every $1,000 of assessed property value. For the 2024-25 school year the mill levy is 12.828 for the district. Colorado law allows for jurisdictions that collect property taxes, like school districts, to go to voters and ask to collect more revenue than the state-set mill levy. Deploying this mechanism was briefly considered by the district last year, but it ended up introducing a bond ballot measure instead. 

Seventh grade counselor Brian Tracey was the first to introduce the request at the May 1 meeting. 

He said proponents of a mill levy override were asking for a future in which they can continue to support students without having to make sacrifices themselves.  

“(In addition to the state-level support), we desperately need a long-term fix for public school funding simultaneously at the local level. Within our sphere of control, we have a tangible and immediate tool, a mill levy override,” he said.

Tracey said he was just recently able to find housing he and his family could afford, which was only possible through a Veterans Affair loan and a deed restriction. 

“No one should have to previously serve on active duty to afford the opportunity for affordable housing while working for the school district,” he said.

Prior, he commuted from his home in Idaho Springs in what he described to be more of a “road trip” than a daily commute to work. Once his family touched base in Summit, finding affordable child care was a whole different battle, he said.

Spanish teacher at Summit Middle School Brianna Clarke shared at the meeting she also just received the news her full-time position will now be a part-time position next year. 

“No matter how badly I want to continue teaching here, I’m 100% certain that I cannot afford to live here at half the pay and not qualify for benefits,” she said.

“What will you do to retain your own?” she later added. 

Seventh grade math and science teacher Dustin Cohen said this year has brought him the most financial stress he’s ever experienced. He said he had to pick up another job, averaging between 15-25 hours a week, just to stay afloat, and he feels like he’s barely doing that. 

Even with the added income, he said he is still spending over 40% of his total income on rent.

“I want to work at (Summit Middle School) for the rest of my career. … But right now that future feels out of reach,” he said. “My salary is not keeping pace with the rising cost of living, home ownership, raising children or even escaping just living paycheck to paycheck.”

According to the district, the board already made the decision to not run any ballot measure this upcoming fall.

“There has been some discussion about a mill levy override at some point — but not this fall, and there will need to be much further conversation on that front first,” communications director Kerstin Anderson said via email. “We also remain deeply engaged in ongoing discussions about the structural deficiencies of school funding in Colorado.”