Letter to the Community
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Dear Douglas County Resident,
The Douglas County School District (DCSD) is dedicated to ensuring that all students are empowered to meet their future with competence, purpose and optimism.
Schools are an integral part of our neighborhoods, our economies and our lives. As the top-performing school district in the Denver metro area and the largest employer in our county, we have many responsibilities that we take very seriously.
We must continue to invest in a high-quality school system, which provides our children with bright futures, builds a pipeline for our future workforce, and attracts businesses and residents to our thriving community and keeps our home values strong. Your past investments in our school district have provided strong returns, including higher test scores and graduation rates (the highest in Denver metro!), teacher retention, and staff morale. Our school buildings are also providing safer and more comfortable learning environments for our kids. Thank you!
We must continue to proactively care for our incredible teachers and staff who create bright futures for our kids, every single day.
Thanks to our community, our school district currently has one of the lowest employee turnover rates in the area. However, we know all too well that could change, primarily due to our inability to keep up with the rising cost of living and housing in our county.
Although recent funding measures have improved our competitive position when it comes to teacher and staff compensation, the Douglas County School District remains seven percent (7%) below the average starting teacher salary in the Denver metro area. Continued investment in compensation for teachers and staff is necessary to be more competitive with neighboring school districts and to better keep pace with inflation, and to help our staff live in the community where they work.
Although recent funding measures have improved teacher and staff compensation, the Douglas County School District remains seven percent (7%) below the average starting salary in the Denver Metro area. Continued investment in compensation for teachers and staff is necessary to be more competitive with neighboring school districts and to better keep up with inflation.
Our school district must also reduce student waitlists for Career and Technical Education programming, including the trades, restore student programming that has been cut over the years, and continue to increase and maintain school security support.
While it's critical that we continue our efforts to keep the amazing teachers and staff members who make our academic successes possible, our school district must also continually expand access to Career and Technical Education programming (including the trades) for students, restore student programming that has been cut over the years, and continue to increase and maintain school security support.
This is why my staff and I recently recommended to the Board of Education that a $54 million Mill Levy Override (MLO) be placed on the November 2026 ballot. The proposed MLO would cost residential taxpayers approximately $33.70 per year—about $2.81 per month—for every $100,000 in home value.
A 2026 MLO, if placed on the ballot and passed by voters, would enable our school district to:
- Retain and attract top-quality teachers and staff by providing salaries that are more competitive with neighboring school districts and better keep pace with inflation.
- Increase and maintain school security support, including school resource officers.
- Reduce student waitlists for Career and Technical Education programming, including the trades.
- Restore student programming such as instrumental music in elementary schools.
Next Steps for the MLO
The Board of Education will ultimately decide whether to place this measure on the ballot at a meeting in August. Over the next month, the Board will review community feedback as part of its decision-making. To help share your feedback, please consider completing a short online survey at bit.ly/DCSD-survey2026. The results will be shared with the Board and the community.
For me, recommending this MLO for the ballot is about ensuring that today’s students have access to the same exceptional opportunities my children and so many others in our community were fortunate to receive.
Thank you for your continued dedication to our students, teachers, staff and community. Your past support has resulted in DCSD being the #1 school district in the Denver metro area. Our children’s futures are brighter thanks to you.
Sincerely,
Erin Kane, Superintendent
Douglas County School District