Eagle County voters back Ballot Issue 5B, the $10.1 million school funding override

Ballot Issue 5B, the Eagle County School District's $10.1 million mill levy override, is leading decisively in unofficial results from the Nov. 3 election. Results compiled from the Colorado Secretary of State's election night reporting, as transcribed in Rocky Mountain Voice's statewide results file last updated at 7:29 p.m. MST on Nov. 4, put the measure at 11,300 yes votes to 7,980 no votes, or 58.61 percent in favor. KZYR, the valley's local radio station, reached the same reading in its Nov. 4 Zephyr Press News summary, reporting that 5B appeared to have passed. All results are unofficial until the canvass and certification process is complete.

What the measure would fund

A mill levy override is a voter approved property tax that provides funds for a school district's general fund, according to the district's own factual summary of the measure. The money goes to operational expenses, meaning people, programs and services, and the funds stay local rather than going to the state. The Eagle County School District Board of Education approved placing the $10.1 million override on the November 2026 ballot as Ballot Issue 5B. The ballot language increases district taxes by $10.1 million in tax collection year 2027, and annually thereafter, up to the maximum amount state law authorizes when combined with prior voter approved levies for the general fund. The district estimated the cost to a homeowner at $11 per month per $1,000,000 of assessed value, based on assessment rates as of December 2025.

The stated purposes in the ballot language begin with retaining and attracting high quality teachers and support staff. Two guardrails are written into the district's summary of the measure: no revenue from the 2026 override will be used for senior district administration salary increases, and the funds are subject to an annual independent audit. Eagle County Charter Academy, the district's authorized charter school, is in line for a proportionate share of the revenue as well. The measure drew organized support during the campaign, including an endorsement from Voces Unidas that this newspaper reported on Oct. 10, arguing the new revenue should be tied to closing achievement gaps for Latino students.

A district that cut its budget first

The vote came after a difficult budget year for the district. Its factual summary states that this past spring the district cut more than $4 million and eliminated approximately 60 jobs for the 2026-2027 school year, and the summary presented arguments on both sides, including the argument that the district is underfunded compared with surrounding mountain districts and the argument that the measure adds a property tax burden of about $11 per month per $1,000,000 of assessed value. Because the override is written to begin in tax collection year 2027, the first revenue year under the measure is 2027, not the current school year.

The state school funding question on the same ballot

Eagle County voters also weighed in on Proposition NN, the statewide measure to increase the TABOR revenue cap for K-12 education funding. In Eagle County's own count, reported by the Associated Press at the county level, voters backed the proposition by 14,023 votes to 8,650, and the Associated Press called that county result. Statewide, the proposition was approved, drawing 55.68 percent yes votes in the Secretary of State's reporting. The two measures work differently: Proposition NN changes how much revenue the state may retain for K-12 funding, while 5B is a local property tax whose revenue stays with the Eagle County School District under the audit and salary limits described above.