Dear Editor,

This letter is to serve as documentation of my support for Ballot Issue 4A. I believe it is imperative that the school receive the necessary funding that the mill levy will provide for the following reasons:

Gilpin County Schools have become schools of destination, with the attraction being the quality of education provided. GCSD has not only been recognized by the state of Colorado with multiple awards, but has also been nationally recognized for its excellence. The District has been ranked in the top 20 school districts out of 178 for the past 3 years. This is in large part due the caliber of teachers the District has been able to hire and retain – teachers that value true academic excellence. With the lack of teachers nationwide and the current economic hardships our district is facing due to cuts in state funding, the GCSD is in a very precarious situation. The school’s current starting teacher salary is nearly 30% less than the State average and without the ability to retain and recruit excellent teachers, the instructional quality of our children’s education is compromised. 

School districts across the nation are competing for the limited number of qualified teachers and without being able to competitively compensate our teachers, we face the real possibility of losing the opportunity of attracting excellent educators, and the possibility of losing current staff members. 

Another incredible benefit of our schools is being able to provide enough teachers to keep our class sizes at a level that allows educators more one on one instructional time and individual support for students. The smaller class also lessens the stress on teachers and provides more opportunity for curriculum planning and development which only benefits our students. If we cannot retain and recruit teachers then classes will have to be merged and we will lose one of the most valued assets of our schools.

With the current economic deficits and without the financial contribution the mill levy will provide, the Gilpin County School District faces a very real possibility of losing the standard of educational excellence our school community has come to know and enjoy over the past several years.

Cherokee Blake
Black Hawk