ICYMI: DCGOP Resolution Opposes DCSD 5A Bond Measure

DCGOP Resolution Opposes DCSD Tax Increases, Including the 5A Bond Measure

WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the Douglas County Republican Party (DCR) is charged with ensuring the DCR reflects the will and direction of the Republican Party based on the party’s national platform, specifically in regards to the adoption of conservative principles applied to both education and taxation;

WHEREAS, for two, consecutive election cycles, the Douglas County School District (DCSD), under the guise of the ‘Kids First’ conservative-leaning school board, has voted to place a nearly $500 million bond on the ballot, with said taxation initiatives being defeated by voters each time, with 99,739 and 74,370 citizens voting against these measures in 2022 and 2023, respectively;

WHEREAS, Republicans in Douglas County are being challenged financially like never before, as Colorado ranks the 5th-most expensive state to reside. This, combined with an average 40% increase in 2023 property taxes, persistent inflation nationwide that has increased the cost of living for hard-working families, as well as a litany of hidden fees Colorado Democrats have applied to the administrative state, each has made our communities more costly to live in;

WHEREAS, with nearly 3 years in office, the DCSD Board of Directors have yet to present the community with a solid fiscally-conservative alternative plan to raising taxes that addresses persistent issues of school consolidations, capital expenditures, maintenance overhead, budgeting efficiencies, and charter advancements to support school expansion;

WHEREAS, persistent donations from large developers such as Shea Homes, Fransen Pittman, Golden Triangle Construction, Saunders Construction, and others have been used to support pro-taxation groups, such as Invest in DCSD, that relies on underhanded allegiances with Democrats and far-left Teacher Union allies to carry this message to unsuspecting Douglas County voters;

WHEREAS, the DCR has an obligation to communicate its position on governing bodies and their taxation approaches to the nearly 100,000 Republicans who call Douglas County home, ensuring their party adheres to the national GOP platform which directs it to “support innovative funding mechanisms that make options available to all children: education savings accounts (ESAs), vouchers, and tuition tax credits.”

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the DCR collectively signals its opposition to any new DCSD bond taxation efforts placed on the ballot for the 2024 election, and calls upon DCSD Board of Directors to vote against any measure they may be presented that would result in such taxes being added to the ballot. Additionally, the DCR calls upon the DCSD Board of Directors to work more stringently to present the Douglas County community with more fiscal conservative approaches to addressing funding and tighter budgeting to be better fiscal stewards of the more than $1 billion annual dollar allocation, and invites them to a meeting of the DCR Executive Committee to discuss said approaches.

PASSED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of July 2024 in Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, DOUGLAS COUNTY REPUBLICANS