Voces Unidas endorses Eagle County's 5B school funding measure, citing achievement gaps
The Western Colorado advocacy organization is backing the $10.1 million mill levy override on the Nov. 3 ballot, saying new revenue must be tied to closing learning gaps for Latino students.
Voces Unidas, a Western Colorado advocacy organization, has endorsed Eagle County School District's $10.1 million mill levy override on the Nov. 3 ballot, arguing the new revenue must be tied directly to closing persistent achievement gaps for Latino students.
The endorsement, announced this week, covers school funding measures in three mountain districts: Eagle County's Ballot Issue 5B, Summit County's 4A and Roaring Fork's 5C. The organization said it advocated for ballot language that explicitly connects new revenue to stronger student outcomes, so that a lack of funding can no longer be cited as the reason longstanding gaps remain unresolved.
In Eagle County, Latino students make up 54 percent of district enrollment, according to the organization. In 2025 English Language Arts results, 24 percent of Latino students in Eagle County were proficient, compared with 62 percent of White students. The organization said math gaps were also between roughly 35 and 40 percentage points.
We appreciate these districts for listening to Latino families and for connecting new funding to stronger student outcomes. Creating a dedicated funding stream gives our communities the opportunity to invest in bold reforms and finally demand better results from our school districts.
Alex Sánchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas (endorsement announcement)
What 5B would fund
Ballot Issue 5B would raise $10.1 million in local property tax revenue beginning in 2027, according to the district. The district says 80 percent of the money, about $7.6 million, would go to teacher and staff salaries, with the remainder split between academic programs and mental health. Per state mandate, $600,000 would go to Eagle County Charter Academy as its proportionate share.
The school board voted unanimously Aug. 26 to place the measure on the November ballot, after parents from the Stone Creek charter school urged the district to include charter schools in the ballot language. The measure's stated priorities include retaining and attracting staff, strengthening reading, writing and math instruction, restoring art, music and physical education, and adding mental health professionals. Revenue could not be used for senior district administration.
The district says it cut more than $4 million and eliminated about 60 jobs for the 2026-27 school year, reducing programming and electives and making staff recruitment and retention harder. The Colorado Education Association recommends a yes vote on the Eagle County mill levy override.
Voces Unidas said its own 2026 research found that Latino voters were nearly four times more likely to support a local school tax increase when the funding was explicitly connected to closing achievement gaps and accelerating learning for Latino students. The organization said it endorsed 4A, 5B and 5C because each creates a path to fund that work.
