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Cost to Taxpayers

Graphic of a house with text explaining the cost of an MLO to taxpayers would be approximately $33.70 per year for every $100,000 in home value

Cost of Mill Levy Override ($54 million)  

In 2027, the proposed MLO would cost residential taxpayers approximately $33.70 per year (about $2.81 per month) for every $100,000 in home value. For a $700,000 home this would equal $236 per year.

 

 

 

 

How Taxpayer Funding is Spent on Students

Combined General Fund Expenditures ($M)

pie chart showing how taxpayer dollars are spent on students in Douglas County School District

 

How DCSD Administrative Costs Compare

Approximately 85% of DCSD’s annual revenue is spent on our people (salaries, benefits, and PERA contributions). However, this does not mean that our school district is spending money on a large central administration. In fact, DCSD has a small central administration compared to other school districts in the area.

 

Pie chart showing the breakdown of where the money is spent on employees; only 3% of DCSD staff are administrators compared to the state average of 5%

 

Did you know?

DCSD is the top scoring district and has one of the lowest tax rates.

bar graph comparing tax rates across aurora, denver, littleton, jeffco, cherry creek, st. vrain valley, and douglas county school districts

Did you know?

DCSD has 23 Human Resources employees which serve 7,500 employees? This equals a ratio of 1:350. A ratio of 1:50 is recommended in the private sector.

Did you know?

DCSD’s IT team supports 63,000 devices and 100 buildings (all of which have WiFi and other technology needs)?

Did you know?

DCSD is consolidating its central administration staff in order to save even more on overhead and long-term costs.

Common Sense Institute Colorado Report (2026)

Bar graph from the Common Sense Institute showing DCSD as one of the leanest school districts when it comes to administrative growth.

Shows DCSD as one of the leanest school districts in Colorado when it comes to the size of Central Administration. *NOTE: This data is inclusive of charter school employees. 

In this study, administrative positions in Colorado are separated into five levels which cumulatively make up “administration.” These positions are listed below:

  • Superintendent
  • Assistant/Deputy/Associate Superintendent, Senior Executive, Executive Director, Director of Special Education
  • Non-Instructional Manager, Director, Supervisor
  • Instructional Manager, Director, Assistant Director of Special Education, Supervisor
  • Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Director