In a case of not-so-impeccable timing, the Summit School District is again asking voters to approve a bond measure that will result in an annual property tax increase for all county homeowners. Anyone interested in a property tax hike? Me neither. If the money did not go to fund education, I would have immediately said “no” in a most emphatic manner. But it’s for the kids, I thought, and forced me to dig into the merits of what is being requested of us Summit property owners in the form of higher taxes. In this case, “higher taxes” means about $13 per month for a home valued at $1,000,000 (about $156 per year).

The School District is asking for $195,400,000 of taxpayer money to spend on education. Superintendent Tony Byrd calls this a “visionary investment for our students.” The problem is that people may not be willing to pay for any “visionary investments” at a time when personal budgets are already stretched thin.

Superintendent Byrd gets it.

“People, understandably, are worried about their taxes,” Byrd said. “We’re trying to get this to a place with the most minimal (financial) impact.”

Given that this bond is for the kids, it is important to see how the funds are being spent.

Nearly a quarter of the bond proceeds would go to employee housing. To suggest there may be a need for employee housing in Summit County would be a stupendous understatement. Short of paying the teachers more (substantially more), the district is responding by building somewhere between 60-91 residential units on land it currently owns (starting with 60 units). The bond would cover the construction costs but fails to address the question of whether it is a good idea to have your employer also be your landlord. What could go wrong? Fortunately, as Superintendent Byrd pointed out to me, the property would be managed by an outside management company, and the rents would be controlled based upon the employees’ income.

The superintendent is correct here that without housing assistance, the school district will continue to lose valuable teachers and other employees to other lower-cost school districts. This affects continuity, as about 43% of all Summit teachers and support specialists (123 out of 285) have been hired within the brief two-year tenure of our current superintendent.

Another quarter of the bond proceeds would be utilized toward demolishing Breckenridge Elementary and replacing it with a new elementary school. These expenses are always difficult to swallow, but this is a clear case of “pay me now or pay me later.” I’d rather pay now (when the money is cheaper due to the district’s high financial rating) and make sure that all buildings used for education are safe and conducive to learning.

The remaining 50% would be spent on various capital improvements at Snowy Peaks and systemwide on needed repairs and maintenance. It would also include construction of a career and technical education innovation center that Superintendent Byrd termed a “mini-college campus.” Sounds cool, but will voters agree to pay for it?

I think we should, as an investment in our students by providing career and technical educational paths will provide the means necessary to gain skills required for existing in the 21st century. This seems reasonable to me, especially considering that about 30% of Summit High School graduates do not continue their formal education any further. For those who decide to continue with a collegiate path, no one can seriously doubt the value of having gained technical skills while a teenager in today’s fast-changing world.

When I added this all up, I realized that I am really getting a lot of value for my $156 annual investment (in reality, about $120 for me due to my property not being worth $1 million — yet). The last time the school district asked us for money was in 2016. You’d think that the district would have benefited from the recent property tax increases. Due to the way mill levies work, you would be wrong. We need to make 2024 the year that we give our schools the appropriate resources to give the students, our children, the greatest opportunity for success in life. Proposition 4a does just this.

Scott M. Estill’s column “Challenges, Choices, Changes” publishes biweekly on Thursdays in the Summit Daily News. Estill is an attorney, author, and public speaker who lives in Dillon when not traveling or attending to legal matters in Denver. Contact him at scott@scottestill.com.