Garfield Re-2 School District Approves 2024-25 Budget

The Garfield School District No. Re-2  Board of Education approved the 2024-25 budget on June 26 with a total budget appropriation of just over $86 million. Of the district’s six (6) funds, the General Fund and the Capital Projects Fund are the two largest, with appropriations of $68.5 million and $3 million, respectively. 

The General Fund accounts for almost all district school operations and support functions. Nearly 80% of the General Fund is salaries and benefits for Garfield Re-2 staff.  One of the most significant celebrations in the approved 2024-25 budget is a staff raise. In an attempt to maintain competitive wages, the Garfield Re-2 School Board approved a four percent increase to the base salaries of all employees except administration and an additional two percent increase for all staff. This is about a $2 million increase to the salaries and benefits to the District’s budget.

“We are committed to being good stewards of the tax dollars that citizens trust us with,” explained Superintendent Heather Grumley. “The support of the School Board to provide salary increases to our dedicated teachers and staff is greatly appreciated, and continues to show the commitment they have to our Strategic Plan.”

Approximately 86% or $55.7 million of the District’s revenue comes through the Colorado School Finance Act.  Currently, local property taxes make up about 35% of this funding, while the state backfills the remaining 65%.  Due to a decades-long misinterpretation of tax laws, the Colorado legislature passed a law (House Bill 21-1164) requiring school districts that did not have a balance between the local and the state portions to increase their local mill levy until local participation began to match State participation.

The legislation created a gradual correction plan for affected districts, allowing them to increase their local property tax collections by a small amount every year until this balance is achieved. A total of 127 of the state’s 178 school districts are impacted by this taxation correction. 

Garfield Re-2 is in the fourth year of this process, and is required to increase the local mill levy by one (1) mill every year until it reaches the State determined corrected mill levy of 16.282. These are NOT additional funds that will come to Garfield Re-2. They are a correction to adjust the local share of Total Program funding for education to the amount that is legally required by state statutes and the State Constitution.

The process of creating a budget for approval in June begins almost immediately, with quarterly budget reporting to the school board, which begins in the fall. In December, another financial review with the school board will occur with the strategic budgeting process beginning in January, including meetings with Collaborative Solutions (Garfield Re-2’s interest-based negotiation team), District Accountability, building principals and administrators, and other interested parties.