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<v Speaker 1>I've got Aaron Kane, Douglas County School Superintendent in the

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<v Speaker 1>studio with me now, and we got to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>this bond issue, because there's bond issues for a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of different school districts. And if I thought Denver Public

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<v Speaker 1>Schools would come on the show, I'd invite them too.

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<v Speaker 1>But I am a doug Co resident who is actually

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<v Speaker 1>supporting this bond issue, and Erin is coming on for

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<v Speaker 1>the next few minutes to talk about a few things.

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<v Speaker 2>What are you for having me?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah? What is different about this time than the last time?

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<v Speaker 3>In your view?

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<v Speaker 4>Well, you know, last time, we were trying to run

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<v Speaker 4>two initiatives at the same time during an incredibly challenging

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<v Speaker 4>tax year, and we are so so grateful to our

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<v Speaker 4>taxpayers that we were able to get last year's five

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<v Speaker 4>a r mill levy overt across the finish line, and

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<v Speaker 4>it has made a tremendous difference for our teachers.

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<v Speaker 2>But we do still.

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<v Speaker 4>Struggle with our capital needs, and so the bond on

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<v Speaker 4>this year's ballot is a little bit different than last time,

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<v Speaker 4>primarily because inflation is so much we just can't afford

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<v Speaker 4>as much as we would have with last year's bond.

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<v Speaker 4>And we couldn't afford as much with the previous either,

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<v Speaker 4>so inflation.

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<v Speaker 1>One thing people need to understand is that Douglas County

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<v Speaker 1>is growing by leaps and bounds, but it's not necessarily

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<v Speaker 1>growing in the areas where we already have schools.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's absolutely correct.

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<v Speaker 4>We call it growth and decline in Douglas County. So

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<v Speaker 4>eight hundred and fifty square miles two thirds the size

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<v Speaker 4>of Rhode Island, we have lots and lots of very

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<v Speaker 4>different communities, and our older communities, such as Highland's Ranch,

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<v Speaker 4>are aging in place, which means people like my family

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<v Speaker 4>moved here twenty five years ago, kids went through the

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<v Speaker 4>system and we're still in our houses. So those schools

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<v Speaker 4>haven't had a lot of enrollment of new young kids

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<v Speaker 4>because the empty nesters are still in their homes. Whereas

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<v Speaker 4>we have massive construction underway on both sides of Highland's

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<v Speaker 4>Ranch and Sterling Ranch which is west of Highland's Ranch

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<v Speaker 4>west of Santa Fe, and in RidgeGate which is in

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<v Speaker 4>Lone Tree east of Island's Ranch, as well as in

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<v Speaker 4>Castle Pines east of I twenty five, Crystal Valley, Crowfoot Corridor,

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<v Speaker 4>and Parker.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it right now, Parker's nuts everywhere. There's not

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<v Speaker 1>a place in Douglas County where there is not construction happening.

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<v Speaker 1>I feel like that's an accurate sty It is.

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<v Speaker 4>An accurate statement, and the homes are going up so.

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<v Speaker 2>Fast it's absolutely crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>So tell me about what you're doing right now with

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<v Speaker 1>these areas where you have too many students and not

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<v Speaker 1>enough schools.

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<v Speaker 3>What's where are these kids going and what is that like?

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<v Speaker 2>Sure?

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<v Speaker 4>Well, Sterling Ranch is the most extreme example. We have

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<v Speaker 4>enough kids in Sterling Ranch, which again is east of

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<v Speaker 4>Santa Fe. We have enough kids in Sterling Ranch to

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<v Speaker 4>fill two elementary schools, and we have single school out there.

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<v Speaker 4>So we are bussing all those kids, some to Roxboro

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<v Speaker 4>and some across Santa Fe into the edge of Highlands Ranch,

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<v Speaker 4>into Coyote Creek or Trailblazer. Coyote Creek is completely overwhelmed,

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<v Speaker 4>and certainly, as you look at projections over the next

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<v Speaker 4>few years, it will be an untenable solution. So we

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<v Speaker 4>will have to continue to try to reboundary. But you

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<v Speaker 4>can't reboundary your way out of this, right And of

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<v Speaker 4>course I can't pick up an elementary school from the

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<v Speaker 4>middle of Highlands Ranch and PLoP it into the middle

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<v Speaker 4>of Sterling Ranch.

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<v Speaker 1>Are we at a point where we're going to be

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<v Speaker 1>closing some schools to open new schools?

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<v Speaker 3>What's I mean?

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<v Speaker 1>Obviously that's way down the pike, but is that potentially

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<v Speaker 1>in the future.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, we have to deal with both growth and decline,

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<v Speaker 4>and actually this bond assumes we're dealing with both. So

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<v Speaker 4>we do need to build a school in Sterling Ranch.

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<v Speaker 4>Regardless of whether the bond passes or not, we will

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<v Speaker 4>need to consolidate a few schools in Highlands Ranch. That

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<v Speaker 4>absolutely has to happen because our kids are losing out

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<v Speaker 4>on opportunities. When you are in a system that is

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<v Speaker 4>all really small schools, which Island's Ranch is it's really

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<v Speaker 4>hard to get full time art teachers and key teachers,

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<v Speaker 4>let alone be able to offer things like STEM and

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<v Speaker 4>foreign language and so thriving schools are schools that have

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<v Speaker 4>more students and they have thereby there are more opportunities

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<v Speaker 4>for kids. So it's something we have to look at both.

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<v Speaker 4>That's why we call it growth and decline.

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<v Speaker 3>How has the bond been structured? What is the woman

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<v Speaker 3>to just asked the question? I want to ask, sure, how.

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<v Speaker 1>Do we know the money's going to be spent the

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<v Speaker 1>way you say it's going to be spent?

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<v Speaker 4>Terrific, Thank you for the question. So we have a website.

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<v Speaker 4>If you go to the Douglas County School District website

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<v Speaker 4>DCSDK twelve dot org, there is funding Challenges button on

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<v Speaker 4>the top, and it lays out the bond planned in detail,

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<v Speaker 4>so you can see for each one of our ninety

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<v Speaker 4>two schools exactly what changes are going to be made

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<v Speaker 4>as part of the bond, because a huge part of

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<v Speaker 4>it is just capital investment.

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<v Speaker 2>We need new.

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<v Speaker 4>Boilers and chillers and carpet and roofs and you know

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<v Speaker 4>all of those things. We built most of our schools

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<v Speaker 4>between nineteen eighty four and the early two thousands. In fact,

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<v Speaker 4>in Douglas County, we passed a bond every three to

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<v Speaker 4>four years from nineteen eighty four all the way to

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<v Speaker 4>two thousand and six, like clockwork, and those bonds passed

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<v Speaker 4>during those years were used to build new schools. So

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<v Speaker 4>about half of our new schools were built during that

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<v Speaker 4>time period, which means half of our schools are turning

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<v Speaker 4>forty to thirty years old.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and need have significant needs.

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<v Speaker 3>Tell me about the oversight board.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you bet.

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<v Speaker 4>There's a mill bond oversite committee, a citizens committee that

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<v Speaker 4>anyone is welcome to join, Apply to join.

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<v Speaker 2>It's also on our website.

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<v Speaker 4>They look at monthly, they consider every single expenditure and

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<v Speaker 4>they're able to map it to our bond plan. Our

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<v Speaker 4>bond plan is incredibly specific. So you know, if we

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<v Speaker 4>said we're going to fix a chiller at Chaparral High

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<v Speaker 4>School or replace it or whatever, they've got the bond plan,

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<v Speaker 4>they've got the expenditure and they can make that connection.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's true for the entirety of the bond.

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<v Speaker 4>The detailed expenditure, anticipated expenditures are all laid out on

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<v Speaker 4>our website to make it as transparent as possible for

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<v Speaker 4>our textpayers.

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<v Speaker 1>This is not a giant slush fund. I love it

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<v Speaker 1>when somebody's there just want a slush fund. This is

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<v Speaker 1>already so clearly documented that it would shock me if

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<v Speaker 1>we could not just say, Okay, we need this money,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's already been managed in such a way that

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<v Speaker 1>is so transparent.

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<v Speaker 3>I have to say. Erin, I realized that we have a.

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<v Speaker 1>Challenging demographic in Douglas County when it comes to asking

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<v Speaker 1>for tax increases because you have a very conservative population

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<v Speaker 1>who sees the excesses of other school districts and assigns

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<v Speaker 1>those same excesses to Douglas County. And the way that

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<v Speaker 1>you guys have gone about this to provide absolute transparency

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<v Speaker 1>should be the gold standard for every school district. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>every school district should do it this way, and it

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<v Speaker 1>would make it so much easier, I think, to make

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<v Speaker 1>people trust that the money that they're giving is being

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<v Speaker 1>spent in the right way.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, and you know, I'd loved our voters to know

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<v Speaker 4>that the money that they gave us through the mill

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<v Speaker 4>avey over I had last year five A, we promised

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<v Speaker 4>that we would give nine percent increases to teachers and

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<v Speaker 4>support staff. The ballot initiative passed in November, and in

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<v Speaker 4>January we did it. We made it happen retroactive to

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<v Speaker 4>the beginning of the school year, spent exactly as the

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<v Speaker 4>taxpayers anticipated. Our starting teacher pay went from forty five

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<v Speaker 4>thousand a year to fifty two.

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<v Speaker 2>Thousand a year.

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<v Speaker 4>So those changes, and then on the school security side,

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<v Speaker 4>we had six million for school security. We hired campus

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<v Speaker 4>security specialists at all of our elementary schools. They are

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<v Speaker 4>all in place. Parents can see them plain as day

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<v Speaker 4>when they're outside helping with traffic and doing all those things.

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<v Speaker 4>And our law enforcement partners increased our school Resource officer

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<v Speaker 4>account also very visible, so that money has been spent

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<v Speaker 4>exactly as promised, which I think helps, like you said,

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<v Speaker 4>build that trust in the system. And the last thing

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<v Speaker 4>I would say to something you said is we do

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<v Speaker 4>have a master Capital Plan published on our website. Our

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<v Speaker 4>Master Capital Plan is one hundred plus pages. It goes

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<v Speaker 4>through all of our ninety two schools in detail with

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<v Speaker 4>every single capital need that it currently has, along.

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<v Speaker 2>With that it will have in the next five years.

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<v Speaker 4>So every expenditure that we're making in the bond is

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<v Speaker 4>also those needs are documented in our Master Capital Planet

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<v Speaker 4>calls for eight hundred and five million dollars over the

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<v Speaker 4>next five years, which of course is not what we're asking.

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<v Speaker 2>For, but we'll put a big dent in it with

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<v Speaker 2>this bond.

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<v Speaker 1>Can you stick around because I want to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>some totally unrelated to the bond issue. Aaron brought in

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<v Speaker 1>some crazy statistics about kids that I want to jump

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<v Speaker 1>into you, So if you can stick around for one

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<v Speaker 1>more segment, that'll be you get all right, We'll be

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<v Speaker 1>right back. I want to talk about these statistics first,

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<v Speaker 1>because you brought in statistics today that are shocking.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, what is this? Where did you get these?

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<v Speaker 4>Well, first of all, they come from our strategic planning process.

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<v Speaker 4>So in Douglas County School District, we are entering into

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<v Speaker 4>a strategic planning process because the workforce that our kids

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<v Speaker 4>are going to enter.

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<v Speaker 2>Is going to look nothing like what we've seen.

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<v Speaker 4>And then I believe that in the next decade we

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<v Speaker 4>are going to see more change than we saw in

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<v Speaker 4>the last century, and so our kids need to be

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<v Speaker 4>ready to lead that change, not just adapt to it,

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<v Speaker 4>but lead it. So we're entering into this strategic planning process.

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<v Speaker 4>But the other factor is that our kids have changed.

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<v Speaker 4>So not only has a workforce changed, our kids have changed.

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<v Speaker 4>And these are some of the statistics I was sharing

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<v Speaker 4>with you on the way in. How many of us

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<v Speaker 4>remember standing in line for a.

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<v Speaker 2>Driver's license center?

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<v Speaker 3>Stay, yeah, I was.

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<v Speaker 2>I remember.

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<v Speaker 4>I still remember camping out early in the morning, so

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<v Speaker 4>that could be first, you know, at the little DMB

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<v Speaker 4>on one County Line Road.

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<v Speaker 3>That was me.

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<v Speaker 4>So in the year two thousand, eighty seven percent of

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<v Speaker 4>kids had a driver's license by the time they were seniors.

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<v Speaker 4>Today that that percentage is fifty six percent.

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<v Speaker 3>That's crazy.

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<v Speaker 4>And it gets more shocking into In the year two

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<v Speaker 4>thousand and seventy eight percent of our high school seniors

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<v Speaker 4>had part time jobs, and today that is forty three percent.

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<v Speaker 4>And then finally seventy nine percent. In the year two

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<v Speaker 4>thousand of high school seniors had been on at least

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<v Speaker 4>one date, and today that number is forty two percent.

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<v Speaker 4>So our kids are our kids have fundamentally different skills.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, imagine all the skills.

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<v Speaker 4>You picked up or I picked up driving a car

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<v Speaker 4>as a sixteen.

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<v Speaker 3>Year old job when I was fourteen years old.

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<v Speaker 4>Me too.

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<v Speaker 3>I used to drive.

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<v Speaker 1>I taught gymnastics because I had taken gymnastics before I

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<v Speaker 1>got really tall, and I rode the gym owner came

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<v Speaker 1>and picked me up from middle school and took me

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<v Speaker 1>to my job, and then my parents had to pick

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<v Speaker 1>me up. But I've literally we had a job NonStop

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<v Speaker 1>since I was fourteen years old. Same same.

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<v Speaker 2>I had a job when I was fourteen as well.

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<v Speaker 3>I worked.

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<v Speaker 4>I worked at McDonald's. Everyone should have to work at mcdeiks,

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<v Speaker 4>so too.

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<v Speaker 1>In their lives really have become the gold standard for

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<v Speaker 1>teaching kids.

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<v Speaker 2>About urgencies and manner.

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<v Speaker 3>So, I mean some.

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<v Speaker 1>Of this is in high school especially. I think that

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<v Speaker 1>when I was in high school and I was looking

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<v Speaker 1>at getting into college, I didn't have to worry about

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<v Speaker 1>volunteer and doing you know, extracurriculars and all of the

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<v Speaker 1>things that we now have put on kids as a

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<v Speaker 1>requirement where I think they get more out of a

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<v Speaker 1>work experience than anything else.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, we've kind of created this our generation Gen X.

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<v Speaker 4>We've created this incredibly structured busy plan plan for our

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<v Speaker 4>kids where everything is planned and everything is supervised. And

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<v Speaker 4>because so one of the ways to think about it

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<v Speaker 4>is we've converted from a play based childhood to more

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<v Speaker 4>of a screen based childhood.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, So they're either supervised.

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<v Speaker 4>Or on their phones, right or And when we were young, right,

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<v Speaker 4>we were out playing and figuring it out. And that

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<v Speaker 4>means that their brains have actually developed significantly differently than

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<v Speaker 4>our brains developed at the same age.

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<v Speaker 2>And so in our district, we're.

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<v Speaker 4>Thinking about how do we how do we meet these

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<v Speaker 4>kids where they are and make sure they're ready to

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<v Speaker 4>lead the future workforce, and how do we work with

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<v Speaker 4>our families starting at a young age to really encourage

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<v Speaker 4>things like a play based childhood, a little less structure

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<v Speaker 4>in that day, a little a little less supervision actually,

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<v Speaker 4>and more time for kids to interact with each other

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<v Speaker 4>in person, not on screens, you know, teach them about

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<v Speaker 4>social media and the dangers of device use at younger

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<v Speaker 4>in younger ages. So there's so much to engage in

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<v Speaker 4>our community with so that we can partner with our

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<v Speaker 4>families to make sure that our kids get a lot

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<v Speaker 4>of the skills that they are missing out on because

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<v Speaker 4>of statistics like the ones I just shared with you.

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<v Speaker 1>Aaron Kine, thank you so much for sticking around because

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<v Speaker 1>I find that incredibly fascinating. And I bet there's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of parents out there like my My daughter's fifteen.

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<v Speaker 1>She has no interest in getting her learners permit, and

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<v Speaker 1>I finally told her, look, if you want to go places,

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<v Speaker 1>you better learn how to drive because the taxi service

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<v Speaker 1>is almost over.

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<v Speaker 4>Same I made my kids get their licenses. They weren't

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<v Speaker 4>that excited, and.

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<v Speaker 3>I bet they're happy about it now.

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<v Speaker 2>And Mandy, thank you so much for having me.

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<v Speaker 4>Before I go, I just want to mention one thing

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<v Speaker 4>I forgot to say before, which is that our our

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<v Speaker 4>bond in Douglas County is a no tax increase bond,

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<v Speaker 4>so it is there will be no change in the

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<v Speaker 4>current mill.

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<v Speaker 2>Levey rate, so it is a zero tax impact.

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<v Speaker 4>It's permission to borrow some money and to continue attacks

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<v Speaker 4>a little bit longer.

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<v Speaker 3>All right, Aaron Kane, thank you, thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 3>We'll be right back.