Weld County School District RE‑1 seeks to address three critical challenges:

• Declining enrollment, resulting in less state funding
• High teacher turnover, which impacts the quality of our schools
• Aging facilities and rapidly rising maintenance costs

The District is considering two proposals for the November 3, 2026, election:

• A mill levy override (MLO) focused on improving pay for teachers and staff to reduce high turnover, which is costly and disruptive to learning 
• A bond measure to fund renovations, additions, and new construction, allowing for school consolidation, reduced operating costs, and improved programming

There are many important reasons to act now:

• Enrollment has declined across all grade levels for the past five years, with continued decreases projected.
• State funding has dropped significantly due to declining enrollment, amounting to a loss of about $3.8 million since 2020.
• Weld RE-1’s teacher pay is the lowest among peer districts, resulting in high teacher turnover. The District simply cannot compete.
• The District’s school buildings, now 50 to 76 years old, face more than $68 million in deferred maintenance.
• Annual maintenance costs are seven times what they were in 2019.
• Rising construction inflation continues to drive up the cost of proposed improvements.
• Career and technical education (CTE) opportunities offered at other school districts are ahead of those offered at Weld RE-1, putting our students at a significant disadvantage.

Together, these challenges mean short-term fixes are no longer enough.

Based on preliminary assessed valuation estimates, the oil and gas industry would pay for more than 60% of the taxes generated by the proposed MLO and bond measure. In comparison, homeowners would contribute less than 10%, and agricultural property owners less than 2%. Even if both proposed tax measures are approved, Weld RE‑1 would still have one of the lowest overall tax rates in the region.

The MLO would provide $1.3 million annually to improve salaries and wages for teachers and staff, helping to reduce high turnover. The District currently has the lowest starting teacher pay among its peer districts.

Weld RE-1 seeks to consolidate schools while expanding learning opportunities   for students. The proposed $219 million bond measure would fund the following projects:

• Construction of a new grades 6-12 school in Gilcrest   (Valley Middle - High School)
• Conversion of the Educational and Community Center (formerly South Valley Middle School) in Platteville into a PK-5 school, serving as the new Platteville Elementary School.
• Additions and renovations at Pete Mirich Elementary School in LaSalle
• Replacement of outdated buses, technology upgrades, and improvements to the athletic field complex

Weld RE‑1 currently operates and maintains five schools:

• Gilcrest Elementary School (PK-6) in Gilcrest
• Platteville Elementary School (PK-6) in Platteville
• Pete Mirich Elementary School (PK-6) in LaSalle
• Valley Middle School (7-8) in LaSalle
• Valley High School (9-12) in Gilcrest 

If voters approved the proposed bond measure and the projects are completed,  Weld RE‑1 would operate and maintain 3 Campuses:

• Pete Mirich Elementary School (PK-5) in LaSalle
• Platteville Elementary School (PK-5) in Platteville
• Valley Middle - High School (6-12) in Gilcrest

The District is exploring options that would best serve the community, including potential intergovernmental agreements with other public entities to convert the buildings into community spaces, or the possible sale of the properties.

The District identified nearly $150 million in facility needs in 2015/2016. However, the Board of Education was not comfortable pursuing a bond measure of that size. Instead, a $59.4 million proposal was pursued and approved by voters.

Potential benefits of the proposed funding proposals include:

• Recruiting and retaining quality teachers and staff
• Reducing the negative effects of high teacher turnover
• Better aligning facilities with current and projected enrollment
• Expanding academic programming and career and technical education (CTE) opportunities
• Increasing student safety and security
• Simplifying transportation
• Reducing costly and disruptive emergency repairs
• Enhancing energy efficiency
• Maintaining one of the lowest school district tax rates in the region
• Improving property values

Strong public schools benefit the entire community by strengthening property values, attracting families and businesses, providing spaces for shared use, and supporting long-term economic stability.

The District has taken concrete steps to improve planning, oversight, transparency, and communication, including:

• Hiring a new Owner’s Representative (Capital AE) to provide stronger oversight and clearer communication
• Engaging design and construction teams earlier to more accurately define costs upfront
• Strengthening financial policies and internal controls to enhance transparency and accountability
• Committing to a citizen‑led Bond Advisory Oversight Committee to provide independent public oversight and provide updates to the Board of Education on the progress of the bond projects

These changes are designed to ensure that future projects are clearly defined, responsibly managed, and communicated consistently to the community.

The Bond Advisory Oversight Committee, comprised of community members, would be responsible for:

• Reviewing project scopes, timelines, priorities, and budget alignment with voter-approved purposes
• Ensuring capital improvements align with the Master Facilities Plan, bond ballot language, and student safety, equity, and educational needs
• Receiving and reviewing updates on major change orders that exceed a Board-established threshold
• Tracking progress toward key project milestones
• Asking clarifying questions, as needed

Yes. If the District decides to place a bond measure on the ballot this fall, the Bond Advisory Oversight Committee would be part of the bond ballot question.

Yes. The District currently posts annual independent audits on its website and would continue to do so.

The District would create a dedicated landing page on its website to share ongoing project updates. In addition, the District would continue to host community information meetings to keep residents informed.

District funding is largely based on student enrollment. As the District's enrollment continues to decline, so does its state funding. Since 2020, the District ahs lost about $3.8 million due to declinging enrollment. At the same times, costs for staffing, transportation, utilities, and services continue to increase.

Weld RE-1's starting teacher salary is currently the lowest among peer districts and nearly $10,000 below some neighboring districts. The District often recruits and tains teachers who then leave for higher pay elsewhere. This cycle makes it hard to keep eperienced teachers and stabilize staffing.

High teacher turnover can:

• Disrupt classroom continuity and learning routines
• Result in inconsistent instructional quality
• Increase class sizes and workload (leading to even higher turnover)
• Negatively impact academic performance
• Delay or limit expansion of new curriculum adoption
• Increase training and onboarding costs

Facility assessments and planning efforts have identified a range of persistent challenges across Weld RE-1's schools, including:

• Aging and inefficient HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems
• Water drainage and sewer system issues
• Roofing, exterior wall, and pavement deterioration
• Safety and security limitations, including the need for secure vestibules and improved access controls
• Outdated interiors are impacting classrooms, labs, and support spaces
• Infrastucture that limits reliable technology use

Putting tens of millions of dollars into repairs and renovation to the aging high school and outdated elementary schools in Platteville and Gilcrest would still not address many long-term safety and security, educational, and operational needs. Additionally, the District needs to establish a long-term replacement plan for schools that are more than 60 years old.

Only minimally. Many facility costs are fixed. When enrollment declines, the the District still must heat, cool, maintain, and secure buildings.

Routine repairs can help in the short term, but they do not fix:

• Outdated building layouts
• Building systems reaching their end of life
• Inflexible spaces that do not support modern programs

Long-term solutions are needed to ensure schools are safe, efficient, and able to support today's learning needs. Improvements are also needed to ensure Weld RE-1 students have access to facilities that allow them to remain competitive and to be successful after they graduate.

When intentionally designed, a 6-12 school model offers a variety of educational and operational advantages, including:

• Increased student safety and security
• Smoother academic transitions
• Better curriculum alignment
• Earlier access to coursework and activities
• improved staff collaboration
• More efficient use of facilities and resources, reducing costs
• Simplification of transportation

Yes. The proposed 6-12 school in Gilcrest would have separate middle school (grade 6-8) and high school (grade 9-12) wings. Each area would have dedicated staff and age-appropriate spaces. Other proposed design features include:

• A horizontal versus vertical building design, using a midline separation concept
• Separate middle and high school entrances, with the administrative office placed between the two entrances to allow for ongoing monitoring
• Separate academic classrooms, libraries/media centers, gymnasiums, and outside lunch and learning spaces

• Unified scheduling: Students would share certain parts of the campus, but not at the same time.
• Intentional Separation: Core academic classes and lunch periods would be deliberately scheduled separately. Rather than relying on physical barriers, separation would be naturally maintained through distinct grade-level wings, restrooms, and locker areas.
• The Student Experience: Cross-grade interactions would occur primarily through clearly defined advancement or mentoring opportunities, alleviating family concerns about inappropriate "mixing" while preserving a safe, age-appropriate environment for all students.

A combined 6-12 school would allow for:

• Expanded CTE programs
• Shared labs and equipment, but at separate times
• Earlier career exploration
• Introduction to programming like FFa at the middle school level
• Improved alignment between middle and high school coursework

Earlier exposure helps students make more informed academic and career choices.

CTE programs that could be added or enhanced include:

• Mechanics/Oil & Gas Programs
• Tech Engineering
• Agriculture
• Teaching
• Construction Trades
• Health
• Marketing/Business

• Limited to no disciplinary concerns between grade levels
• Older students modeling positive behavior for younger students, which strengthens—rather than weakens—school culture
• Concerns about negative interactions from mixing middle and high school students generally fail to materialize

The plan calls for the closure of the current Platteville Elementary School, which is one of the District's oldest and most expensive schools to maintain. Students would then transition to the Educational and Community Center (formerly South Valley Middle School), which would be renovated and repurposed as the new Platteville Elementary School (PK-5).

The proposed conversion would include the following improvements:

• A new four-classroom addition
• Administration area relocation and associated new main entry plaza on the north side of the building to improve safety and site circulation for student drop-off and pick-up, a new on-site parking lot (approximately 67 parking spots)
• A new irrigated grass play area
• A new fenced Pre-K playground and a new elementary playground
• Drainage and site improvements
• Light interior renovations to right-size classrooms

This change would also improve student safety by removing daily exposure to State Highway 66.

The District is exploring options that will best serve the community for the old building, including continuing to operate the gymnasium for community use, potential sale of the property.

Proposed improvements to Pete Mirich include:

• A new seven-classroom addition
• Administration area relocation and associated new main entry plaza at SW corner of building to improve safety and site circulation for student drop-off and pick-up
• Relocating pick-up/drop-off from 1st Avenue to a safer on-site location off 4th Street
• Site drainage upgrades
• A new parking lot and a new irrigated grass play area

A mill levy override (MLO) provides additional funding to address operating needs, such as salaries and wages for teachers and staff. A bond measure provides funding for capital projects such as school building repairs, renovations, and new construction. Funds from a bond measure cannot be used to address operating needs.

Based on current assessed valuation, the oil and gas industry would pay more than 60% of the taxes associated with the proposed MLO and bond measure.

If the valuation goes up, the debt service tax rate could be lowered and residential and agricultural property owners could pay less, and vice versa. The extent to which taxes go up or down for residential and agricultural property owners would depend on the extent to which the oil and gas valuation changes.

Based on current assessed valuation, homeowners would pay less than 10% of the taxes associated with the proposed MLO and bond measure.

Based on current assessed valuation, agricultural property owners would pay less than 2% of the taxes associated with the proposed MLO and bond measure.

Following is the estimated tax impact of the proposed $1.3 million MLO based on actual home values:

Actual Home Value - Tax Impact, Estimated Monthly - Tax Impact, estimated Annual

$300,000 - $1.33 - $16

$400,000 - $1.77 - $21

$500,000 - $2.21 - $27

For homeowners who qualify and apply for the Homestead Property Tax Exemption, the tax impact would be lower. The tax impact estimates are based on the current total assessed valuation and an assessment rate of 7.05%. The estimates are preliminary and subject to change.

Following is the estimated tax impact of the proposed $219 million bond measure on actual home values:

Actual Home Value - Tax Impact, Estimated Monthly - Tax Impact, estimated Annual

$300,000 - $14.17 - $140

$400,000 - $18.92 - $227

$500,000 - $23.67 - $284   For homeowners who qualify and apply for the Homestead Property Tax Exemption, the tax impact would be lower. The tax impact estimates are based on current interest rates, current total assessed valuation, and an assessment rate of 7.05%. The estimates are preliminary and subject to change.

Weld RE‑1 currently has one of the lowest total tax rates in the region because of the value of oil and gas properties. In fact, the oil and gas industry currently pays more than 60% of the District’s taxes.

Yes. Construction costs continue to rise. Additionally, ongoing deferred maintenance would continue to grow, resulting in higher maintenance and repair costs the longer projects are postponed.

The District serves the communities of Gilcrest, LaSalle, and Platteville.

Needs were identified through:

• A District Strategic Plan (completed February 2025)
• Facility condition assessments
• A demographic study, community survey, and focus groups
• A five‑year Master Facilities Plan update
• Financial and tax impact analyses

The District has gathered input through:

• Citizen Task Force meetings
• Partnerships with local organizations and businesses
• Student focus groups and staff engagement
• Public meetings and outreach events

The District will continue to share information with the community and gather feedback via community meetings and a public opinion survey.

The Board of Education will decide in August 2026 whether to place the funding proposals on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

All registered voters residing within Weld RE‑1 boundaries would be eligible to vote.

Residents are encouraged to attend community information meetings, review District communications, and participate in an upcoming public opinion survey that will be mailed to all registered voter households and be available online.

Residents should contact:    Kimberly Bloemen, MA, Ed.S  Superintendent  Weld County School District RE-1  (970) 350-4201

bloemenk@wcsdre1.org