Bennett School District Bonds for a New High School

Bennett School District 29J, which covers parts of Adams and Arapahoe counties east of Denver, would sell general obligation bonds to build a new high school on its existing campus, convert the current high school building to a middle school "TO EXTEND ITS USEFUL LIFE," improve security at all school buildings and, "AS FUNDS ALLOW," make other repairs. Property taxes would be levied "WITHOUT LIMIT AS TO THE MILL RATE" to make the payments, within the question's dollar limits. A citizens' oversight committee would monitor spending, and the board of education would set the bonds' interest, maturity and other terms.

On August 19, 2026, the board voted 5-0 to refer the question and, the same night, adopted the district's 2026 master plan, prepared by the architecture firm Treanor. The plan puts the new high school on district land just north of the existing primary campus and remodels the current high school, whose main building dates from 1950, 1980 and 2006, into an expanded middle school. It would demolish the high school's north annex, built in 1975, and the original middle school buildings, built in 1970 and 1980, and add a field house and a gym and classroom addition at the intermediate school, projects the ballot question does not name.

A 2019 state assessment scored the connected middle and high school at 0.49 on a facility condition index and the north annex at 0.45; the plan says a score at or above 0.40 likely justifies replacement. In April 2026 the superintendent told the board that heating and cooling units kept failing and that the district had "burned through our mechanical, building, and facilities budgets." The district's bond website estimates the cost at $6.25 a month for each $100,000 of home value.

In 2022 the district asked to borrow up to $50 million, with a repayment cost of up to $90 million, for projects that included a new high school, reconfiguring the current high school as an expanded middle school, career and technical classroom space, security and traffic work, and athletic facilities. It failed 697 to 875 in Arapahoe County and 834 to 929 in Adams County, according to each county's official results. In August 2023 the board referred a request for up to $80 million, with a repayment cost of up to $149.75 million, for "A NEW HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS" with a career and technical education center. It failed 399 to 795 in Arapahoe County and 511 to 763 in Adams County. The district's bond website lists a 2004 bond and a 2014 mill levy override among the measures voters approved.

In March 2025, according to the master plan, the board and executive team raised concerns about the overall cost and timing of a bond, and the planning team was told to look for ways to reduce scope and costs. In March 2026 the board directed staff to continue due diligence and to consider a $125 million bond.

The district runs the Bennett campus and has authorized one charter school, Sky Ranch Academy in Watkins, which opened for the 2023-24 school year. Supporters' comments in the county TABOR notice, and the district's bond website, say enrollment has grown by more than 40%. The master plan counts 1,280 students at the Bennett campus in 2023-24 and 1,307 in 2025-26, against 365 and 530 at Sky Ranch Academy, and says combined enrollment "has been steady with most growth generated by Sky Ranch Academy."

The plan's demographer forecasts about 825 more students in the coming decade, 400 at the Bennett campus and 425 at Sky Ranch Academy, where the plan shows a new building opening in fall 2026. The forecast puts the Bennett campus's high school grades at 519 students in 2035, up from 421 in 2026; the plan's capacity table lists the current high school at 567 students.

In December 2025 the board certified a total levy of 25.38 mills. The finance report that month said assessed value in the district grew $397,994,316 and that "our local taxes collected for the year will fully fund our Total Program without need for any state share." The 2026-27 budget, adopted June 17, counts on no state equalization aid.

The Adams County TABOR notice, dated September 24, estimates the bond's tax increase at $11,000,000 in 2026-27, against fiscal year spending of $18,895,837 without it, and reports no current bonded debt. Supporters' comments in the notice say the district paid off its outstanding bonds early in 2022. The district's audit for the year ended June 30, 2025, reports other long-term obligations, including financed purchases with $5,854,609 in principal to be repaid through 2039.