Believe in Widefield (Bond & MLO)

What is a Homestead Tax Exemption?

• It's a special program that helps senior citizens pay less in property taxes on their home.

Who can get it?

• People who are 65 years or older and have owned and lived in their home for at least 10 years.
• The surviving husband or wife of a senior citizen who had this exemption.

How does it work?

• If you qualify, the state pays for half of the first $200,000 of your home's value. This means you don't have to pay taxes on that part of your home's value.

How do I apply?

• Complete the Property Tax Exemption for Seniors

What is a "primary residence"?

• It's the main place you live. The state decides this by seeing where you are registered to vote.

Important Rules:

• You can only get this tax break for ONE home.
• Even if a married couple owns two homes, they can only get the tax break on one of them.
• If you have a special kind of property, like an apartment building where you live in one of the apartments, you can only get the tax break for the apartment you live in.
• You can't get this tax break and the one for disabled veterans on the same property. You have to choose one.

• 79% of our per pupil funding is from state taxes
• 19% of local property taxes
• 2% is specific ownership (car registrations)

Watch "Tuesday's with Terry" as Terry Kimber, WSD3 Chief Financial Officer, breaks down school district finances.

Watch "The Elements of School Finance" from the Colorado School Finance Project. 

Watch "Colorado's School Funding: A Historical Lens on Today's Challenges"

Widefield School District 3 does not pay for Widefield Parks and Recreation (WPR). 

WPR has their own special fund from property taxes and the money you pay for license plates. Plus, they charge a little bit for people to join their programs and events.

The best part? The new recreation center did not use any money from school funds. That's right, not a single penny! It's all paid for by the Parks and Recreation's own budget. And, because we're related, we get to share great things with them, like using school gyms for sports and having school events at the parks or the pool. It's a win-win for everyone, and we're the only district in Colorado with this kind of partnership!

Watch "Tuesday's with Terry" on WPR funding. 

• FOX 21, Nov. 7, 2025: Widefield voters approve school upgrades and staff pay raises
• KOAA, July 29, 2025: Aging schools, termites, no AC, District 3 needs funding to fix it
• Gazette, July 23, 2025 : Widefield D-3 board approves ballot measures for bond and mill levy override
• KRDO, July 28, 2025: Widefield School District is asking tax payers to improve learning conditions

Marijuana Taxes and Education Uses

There have been lots of questions regarding the marijuana taxes and their impacts on Widefield in light of announcing our plan to place a bond and mill levy override measure on the November ballot.  We would like to take this opportunity to “set the record straight” in regards to these funds.

Coloradans were promised that legalizing marijuana through Amendment 64 in 2012 would result in a major increase in funding for public schools. While this led to the creation of new revenue streams, the "fine print" of the amendment directed only the first $40 million in annual marijuana excise tax revenue into the BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) Fund—a competitive matching grant program for public school construction and renovation projects across Colorado’s 178 school districts.

To this day, very little marijuana tax revenue supports the day-to-day operations of schools, and legalization has not resolved the systemic funding challenges faced by many school districts.

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How BEST Grants Work

Funding from a portion of marijuana taxes goes toward Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grants. School districts can apply for this grant to be used for construction of new schools as well as general construction and renovation of existing school facility systems and structures. 

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WSD3's Benefits from BEST

BEST grants work by matching funds. We need to fund our portion (65% for 2025) of the project in order to receive 35% from the BEST grant. BEST grants typically are funded for health, life, and safety reasons. If we receive a BEST grant for a project on the bond list, this would allow us to maximize our funding for other needed projects. WSD3 has effectively applied for and received BEST grant funding previously.

• 2019 Fire Alarm / Camera Upgrades:  $655,193.00
  • Installation of new fire panels and devices at Venetucci and Pinello elementary schools, Sproul Junior High, Discovery High School, and SA Wilson. 
  • Installation of new video surveillance system at Venetucci, Sunrise, and Webster elementary schools and SA Wilson.   
• 2020 Widefield HS Health & Safety Upgrades: $2,811,970.00
  • Installation of new redundant boiler system, removal of asbestos ceiling and flooring, installation of new carpet and LVT, paint, new grid ceilings, upgraded electrical with LED lighting, some exterior lighting upgrades and lighting controls. 
• 2021 Watson Jr. High Asbestos Removal/ Renovations: $766,700.00 
  • Renovations of seven classrooms and the counseling center along with approximately 4600 sq. ft of corridor.  Work included asbestos removal for the floor and ceilings, repair, patch and paint walls, new grid ceilings with updated LED lighting and controls, new electrical devices, code compliant windows, relocation of fire devices and new carpet throughout the work area.  
• 2021 ES & MS Boiler Replacement: $568,130.00 
  • Removal and Installation of higher efficiency redundant boiler systems and controls at Widefield Elementary and Talbott Elementary and Sproul Jr. High. 
• 2022 Watson JRH Boiler Replacement: $527,725.00 
  • Removal and Installation of higher efficiency redundant boiler systems and controls at Watson JRH.
• 2024 Janitell Jr. HS Roof Replacement / HVAC Improvements: $2,987,835.05 
  • Replacement of main building roof and replacement of existing heating system with the incorporation of air conditioning. 

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BEST Fund – School Construction

• From 2015–16 through 2020–21, Colorado allocated approximately $40 million annually to BEST grants—though in high-revenue years this figure increased (e.g., $89.7 million in 2019–20 and $120.3 million in 2020–21), according to the Colorado Department of Education.
• The program focuses exclusively on capital and facility upgrades (not operations like salaries or curriculum) and typically requires a local funding match.
• To put it in perspective, $40 million is enough to build only one new school statewide. Most BEST grants go toward safety, HVAC, and environmental improvements, not new schools.

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Marijuana Tax Cash Fund (MTCF) – Education & Grants

Separate from the BEST Fund, the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund (MTCF) supports niche education and public health programs. These are often competitive grant-based initiatives, not broad funding for school operations.

Key examples include:

• School Health Professional Grants
  • $2.3 million in early years; increasing to ~$11.9 million annually since 2017
• Early Literacy Competitive Grants
  • $4.4 million to $5.4 million annually over multiple years
• Bullying Prevention, Dropout Prevention, and Social-Emotional Health Grants
  • Ranging from ~$1 million to $2 million annually

In addition, about 12.6% of the state’s marijuana sales tax revenue is directed to the State Public School Fund, which supports general K–12 education budgets. For example:

• In 2020–21, this contribution was approximately $32.9 million
• In previous years, contributions ranged from $20 million to $30 million, according to the Colorado Department of Education

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How Does This Compare to Total School Funding?

Despite the hype, marijuana tax revenue accounts for only a small fraction of total education funding in Colorado:

• In 2017–18, marijuana taxes contributed about $90 million, compared to a total K–12 budget of approximately $5.8 billion—just 1.6%.
• As of the mid-2020s, marijuana revenue still represents only about 1%–2% of statewide K–12 education funding.

Most of the marijuana tax funds do not support teacher salaries, classroom materials, or daily school operations—those remain the responsibility of the state’s general fund and local tax revenues.

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In Summary

While marijuana legalization has provided additional dollars for education, the bulk of the funding has been targeted, limited to capital improvements and competitive grant programs—not the operational needs of schools. Many communities, including WSD3, have benefited from this funding, but it is not a comprehensive solution to Colorado’s ongoing school funding challenges.

 

"Tuesdays with Terry" is a weekly update from our Chief Financial Officer, Terry Kimber, about District finances. 

If there is a topic you want covered or you have questions, please email kimbert@wsd3.org or call 719-391-3026.

NEW episode dropped!

• Board of Education Election & Bond and Milly Levy 2025

Previous episodes:

• How WSD3 Spends Funds
• Property Taxes, part 3
• Property Taxes, part 2
• Property Taxes
• Mill Levy Overrides
• School District Funding, part 3
• School District Funding, part 2
•  School District Funding
•  Promises Made, Promises Kept
• How is Widefield Parks and Recreation funded?
• Marijuana Taxes and School Funding

Voter Registration
Visit the Colorado Secretary of State Website at GoVoteColorado.gov or text "Colorado", "CO", or "2Vote" to 28683 which will also take you to the website to register to vote or you can check your registration.

How to Vote in Colorado
Colorado has a voting model consisting of mail ballots and Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs).

Mail Ballots
Elections in Colorado coordinated by the counties are conducted by mail ballot. Registered, active voters receive a ballot in the mail. They vote at their own convenience and return the ballot by the Election Day deadline, November 4. This model is intent on improving voter turnout and accessibility. Learn about the election process for the Life of a Mail Ballot here.

*Ballots for the 2025 General Election will be mailed beginning Friday, October 10 through October 17.

Voter Service and Polling Centers
At the Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPC) voters can register to vote, update their Colorado Voter Registration, vote in person, and drop off their voted mail ballot. VSPCs are equipped with ADA accessible ballot marking devices. By law, a specified number of Voter Service and Polling Centers are opened in each county during an election cycle.

Same Day Voter Registration
Colorado also allows citizens to register to vote through Election Day. Citizens must meet eligibility requirements including being a resident of the State of Colorado 22 days immediately prior to the next election.

Ballot Boxes in WSD3

• Widefield Water and Sanitation District: 8495 Fontaine Blvd.
• School District 3 Federal Credit Union: 1180 Crawford Ave.

Voter Service Polling Centers 

 

 

 

A bond levy is a revenue source used by public school districts to finance capital improvement projects, including new schools, building and facility improvements, major facility repairs, new school buses, and other capital needs. This must be approved by the voters of the District.

A mill levy override, or MLO, is a taxpayer-supported funding mechanism used by school districts for ongoing expenses like student programs, equipment, and competitive staff salaries. The MLO is approved by the WSD3 community through a vote. MLO funds come directly to the District in the form of property taxes.