Eaton School District Property Tax Override for Pay, Career Programs and Security

The Eaton School District, formally Weld County School District RE-2, seeks to raise property taxes by up to $3,686,000, levied in 2026 and collected in 2027. The question continues the increase "by such amount annually thereafter," as long as the district's combined override revenue under section 22-54-108 of the Colorado Revised Statutes stays at or below 25% of its total program funding as defined in state law, or any similar funding term provided in a successor provision of state law.

The question sets no mill rate and no end date. If 4A passes, the district may collect and spend the revenue and its investment earnings as a voter-approved revenue change under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution and any other law. The Board of Education voted 4-0 on July 13, 2026, to place the override on the November ballot.

The district describes the increase as 3.0 mills. The district's FAQ puts Eaton's existing override at 2.67 mills. Its compensation sheet lists the 2024-25 override levy at 2.626 mills and a proposed levy of 5.526 mills. The district estimates the cost at $8.81 a month, or $105.75 a year, for each $500,000 of a home's actual value, and $375 a year for agricultural or commercial property of the same value. Citing updated assessed values from Weld County, it says the energy sector will cover 70% of the cost.

The question puts the money in the general fund for educational purposes "including but not limited to" career and technical education with hands-on learning, base salaries raised closer to the market averages of surrounding districts, and school resource officers with enhanced security systems.

The district's override page puts figures on that plan: approximately $3,686,000 a year, a $7,000 raise in starting teacher pay to $56,500 with raises of 10% to 14% for all other staff, $600,000 a year for career and technical education and career-connected pathways, and up to $86,000 toward school resource officers and safety training. The district says it has the lowest teacher salaries among nearby districts. Its compensation sheet puts Eaton's starting salary at $49,500, against $51,000 in Windsor, $54,101 in Greeley and $58,000 in Fort Collins. The two documents differ on the new figure: the override page says starting pay rises to $56,500; the compensation sheet lists a proposed starting salary of $55,500.

Eaton voters approved overrides in 2006 and 2019. The district says the 2006 money paid for more than 309 security cameras, all-day kindergarten and classroom technology, and the 2019 money for two campus monitors, assistant principals at two elementary schools and added mental health staff. It adds that the 2019 override does not cover the district's share of the cost of three school resource officers.