Colorado voters will decide Tuesday whether to approve billions of dollars in spending for school districts statewide, including a nearly $1 billion bond for Denver Public Schools. Colorado’s largest district asked voters to approve a $975 million bond measure, which the district plans to use to put air conditioning in 29 schools, along with other maintenance and safety projects. It’s the most money DPS has ever asked voters to borrow. ELECTION RESULTS: Live Colorado election results for the 2024 election Voters will also decide whether to approve a $1 billion bond for Aurora Public Schools and a $950 million bond proposal for the Cherry Creek School District. Overall, at least 32 school districts across Colorado are seeking nearly $7 billion via bonds, mill levies and other funding mechanisms so that the districts can repair aging buildings, construct new schools and make other improvements. If all of the ballot measures are approved, more than half of Colorado’s 881,464 preschool-to-12th-grade students would benefit, according to the Colorado School Finance Project. This year is the first time any school district in the state has proposed a billion-dollar bond measure, according to data collected by the Colorado Department of Education, which tracks elections going back to 1981. School districts asked voters to approve bonds so that they can make capital improvements and maintenance repairs — expenses that leaders at multiple metro Denver districts said are too costly to pay for with the money in their general budget. Coloradans historically like to approve school bond measures, but growing mistrust in education and the cost-of-living crisis could affect voters willingness to open their wallets this election cycle. Related Articles Election | Democrats seek to widen margins in Colorado statehouse, while GOP hopes to block supermajorities Election | Lauren Boebert goes for third term on friendlier ground in 4th Congressional District Election | Amendment J: Voters to decide whether to remove ban on same-sex marriage from Colorado Constitution Election | Aurora voters mull whether to keep pit bull ban Election | Colorado Proposition 127 will determine future of mountain lion, bobcat hunting District officials in Denver, Aurora and Douglas County all said their bond measures wouldn’t increase property taxes because, if approved, they would simply extend an existing tax increase. If the new bonds aren’t approved then taxes would decrease. If approved, the Cherry Creek School District’s bond proposal and its mill levy increase would lead to a tax increase of less than $3 a month for each $100,000 of property value. Douglas County School District’s smaller $490 million bond measure would be used to build schools and for maintenance projects. This is Douglas County School District’s third attempt in three years to get a bond measure passed. Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.