Avon School Board Member Urges Support for $10.1M Tax Override

Aspen —The parking lot at Avon Elementary is quiet now, the kind of stillness that settles over a valley after the last minivan pulls out. But inside, the hum of fluorescent lights and the shuffle of feet remind you that this is where the future gets built, brick by brick, budget line by budget line.

Kelly Alter, a resident of Avon and a member of the Eagle County School Board for the past seven years, knows that weight. She has spent that time navigating the tightrope of financial decisions that ripple out to touch teachers, families, and students alike. Now, she is asking her neighbors to look closely at Ballot Issue 5B.

It’s a mill levy override. The math is straightforward, even if the stakes feel high. The proposal would generate $10.1 million in additional operating revenue. The district has laid out a clear path for that money: roughly 80% goes toward employee compensation. The remainder supports instruction, student services, and programming. There is a specific guardrail here, too. None of it can flow to senior district administration. For a community wary of bloated overhead, that distinction matters.

The cost to the average homeowner is estimated at $133 a year, or $11 a month, for every $1 million in assessed property value. In a market where housing costs have skyrocketed, any new tax feels like a pinch. Alter acknowledges this. She admits that residents deserve to know exactly where every dollar lands. She also concedes that some people see waste in the system. She doesn’t dismiss that skepticism. Instead, she points to the effort required to stretch every dollar further.

The pressure on the budget isn’t theoretical. Over the last seven years, the district has tried to keep pace with rising costs for housing, health insurance, and operations. Enrollment has dipped. Temporary funds from the pandemic era have dried up. State funding has remained inadequate. The result was a forced cut of more than $3 million this year. About 60 positions were eliminated. Alter notes that these aren’t just lines on a spreadsheet. They are real people. They are students losing support. They are staff members losing jobs. They are families feeling the squeeze in the classroom.

Despite the strain, Alter highlights what the district still manages to deliver. Concurrent enrollment allows students to earn college credits with tuition covered if they pass. P-TECH pathways offer routes to associate degrees and work experience. CareerX programs let students explore careers through internships and job shadowing with local businesses. Perhaps most personally, she points to the in-house mental health program. Licensed therapists serve every school at no cost to families. For a child struggling emotionally, or a parent who can’t afford private care, that access is vital.

These programs exist because of dedicated educators and community partners. Alter argues they shouldn’t be taken for granted. She invites skeptics to review the public financial records at eagleschools.net. She notes the district has repeatedly received the ASBO Meritorious Budget Award. She welcomes questions and constructive criticism.

She frames the vote not just as a financial choice, but as a definition of the community itself. Great schools are the cornerstone, she argues. It’s about the people making these opportunities possible and the children carrying the community forward.

Back in the empty parking lot, the silence feels less like absence and more like anticipation. The decision hangs in the air, waiting for the community to choose what kind of foundation they want to build on.