Littleton Public Schools is seeking a $10 million mill levy override on the November ballot while addressing a $10.6 million budget gap. CBS News reports that district officials attribute the shortfall to changes in the state funding formula and years of declining enrollment. If voters reject the measure, the district could continue its pay freeze and consider further freezes in future school years.
According to CBS News, the mill levy override is a voter-approved property tax that would provide additional operating revenue to the district. Littleton voters will decide on the $10 million measure in November, and the outlet reports it marks the district's first mill levy override sought specifically for a staff pay raise since 2010.
CBS News reports that Littleton’s enrollment fell from about 18,000 students to just under 13,000 for the 2026-27 school year over roughly 15 years. Because enrollment is one factor in school funding, fewer students can affect district revenue, though the figures alone do not show how much of the current budget gap is attributable to enrollment.
What a Yes Vote Would Change
CBS News reports that if the measure passes, Littleton Public Schools would give all district staff a 2% pay raise and cancel an $800,000 furlough day planned for March, keeping students in class and staff paid for that day.
The district estimates that a $600,000 home would incur about $150 more in annual property taxes—roughly $13 a month—if the measure passes. CBS News reports that parent Amy Clark described her children’s middle school as having teachers who have taught there for decades. Todd Lambert told the outlet that the district needs to retain its teachers. Campaign signs outside Goddard Middle School in Littleton read “Yes on 4A. Invest in LPS.”
The Stakes if the Measure Fails
If voters reject the override, the district would keep this year’s pay freeze and may impose additional freezes in coming school years, CBS News reports. District officials have also warned that Littleton could lose teachers to neighboring districts. The district currently ranks sixth in Colorado for starting teacher pay, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
Littleton has already reduced central office staff and operations, restructured departments, frozen wages and instituted a district-wide furlough day as part of this year’s cost-cutting effort, CBS News reports. The outlet also reports that the district receives about $12,000 per student. For broader state-budget context, see the Colorado State Budget.
How Enrollment Factors Into State Funding
Under Colorado’s 2026-27 school finance law, the Colorado General Assembly says a district’s funded pupil count is generally the greater of its enrollment that year or the average enrollment for that year and the two preceding years. The Colorado Department of Education says enrollment numbers are among the factors used to distribute school funding statewide. This formula does not, by itself, establish how much enrollment contributed to Littleton’s budget gap; the figures cited here also do not provide annual October counts or comparisons with Colorado and nearby districts.
Littleton Isn't Alone on the Ballot
Littleton isn't the only district asking voters for more money this fall. Denver Public Schools, Douglas County Public Schools and Jefferson County Public Schools have all approved mill levy overrides for the November ballot, the station reports, though details on those measures were not disclosed.
Littleton Public Schools is holding conversations about the override through October 7 so families can learn about the proposal before ballots are cast. District leaders describe the 2% raise as a way to recruit and retain educators, CBS News reports.
