Vote Yes on 5A
Save Our Schools — Telluride

Don't let the Stategut our schools.

If 5A fails, we lose

55 of 142

jobs — at least 55 positions cut over five years, about 40% of our staff and teachers.

The cost to fix it

About $1

a month per $100,000 of home value — about $12 a year.

Big impact. Small investment. Vote yes on 5A.

If 5A fails, here's what we stand to lose:

  • About 40% of our staff and teachers.

    At least 55 positions over five years, out of 142.

  • The quality of our children's education.

    Losing so many teachers and staff would significantly hurt the education every student receives.

We have great schools. The State's new formula takes away about 17% per student. 5A puts it back and saves our schools. Only a local vote can fix this.

Yes on 5A

Ballots due 7 p.m. November 3, 2026.

How to vote yesHave questions? Talk to us

Read the details ↓

1

We have great schools.

Telluride's schools serve every kid — from students headed to the most selective colleges to students heading straight into the workforce.

“Quality schools keep our community strong. That benefits everyone.”

Top 10%

of Colorado school districts

Accredited with Distinction

the State's highest rating

97%+

graduation rate

Telluride High School graduates performing live music at commencementA Telluride High School lacrosse player driving toward the goal

Part of our community's magic. A quality education for every kid does not happen by accident. It happens because of great teachers and staff — and that is worth protecting.

2

The State is taking away 17% per student.

Colorado changed its school funding formula. As the new formula phases in, our schools are slated to receive about 17% less per student than they have traditionally received. This is above and beyond the funding reductions from declining enrollment. Our voters did not choose it, and our district cannot fix it on its own.

~40%

of our staff and teachers if 5A fails — at least 55 positions over five years, out of 142, far beyond anything enrollment explains

That's not a cut. It's a gut. Losing about 40% of our staff and teachers would significantly hurt the quality of education for every student. Enrollment-related cuts have already happened and will continue even if 5A passes. 5A restores what the State is taking away — it does not stop the district from right-sizing.

Our schools are already cutting. Without 5A, the cuts go far past what enrollment calls for.

Enrollment is falling — 910 students in 2018, 752 today, about 620 by 2032. The district is shrinking to match, on its own, without a ballot measure.

18 — positions already eliminated over the past three years

A five-minute explainer on how Colorado funds Telluride schools — with a source for every number.

See the details behind how our schools are funded
3

5A puts it back and saves our schools.

5A isn't new money. It replaces what the State's new per-student funding formula is taking away, protecting the teachers and staff who make a quality education possible.

5A is not about declining enrollment.

Declining enrollment has already triggered cuts, and will continue to.

5A is not new money.

5A only restores what the State's new per-student funding formula took away.

What 5A will cost me

About $1 a month

per $100,000 of your home's actual value (about $12 a year).

Calculate my cost

Find your property to use its county actual value, or enter that value yourself.

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Use the total Actual value, including land and improvements—not the smaller Taxable value or a market estimate.

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This is the proposed additional tax only, before exemptions or special adjustments—not your total tax bill. County billed values may lag current assessor records. Search covers San Miguel County only and does not include R-1 parcels in Dolores County.

No address, account number, value, owner name, or search history is saved by this calculator.

Where your money goes. By law, 5A funds can only be spent on the purposes listed on the ballot: attracting and keeping great teachers and staff, maintaining class sizes, preserving programs, and supporting college and career readiness. In practice, that means people — salaries and benefits are about three-quarters of what it costs to run our schools.

4

Quality schools keep our community strong. That benefits everyone.

The historic red brick Telluride school building on Colorado Avenue

Our schools serve families across Telluride, Mountain Village, Ophir, Sawpit, Placerville and Rico. Good schools keep this community working — and their value reaches far beyond the classroom.

Our workforce

Teachers, nurses, ski patrollers and business owners raise their families here because the schools are good. Lose the schools, lose the people this community depends on.

Our home values

National research shows that strong schools sustain home values.

Our economy

Local families keep Main Street busy year-round, not just in season.

More on the math

There is also hard math. A national study of U.S. school districts found home values move almost one-for-one with school spending — and money spent on teachers, about twice that. 5A raises about 13% of district revenue. Lose it, and a typical district would see home values fall about 13% — $130,000 on a $1 million home. Too strong for a resort community? Cut it by 90%. That's still $13,000 of lost equity, against $117 a year. More on the math.

Don't let the State gut our schools. Only a local vote can fix it. Vote yes on 5A.

Neighbors, teachers and parents on why these schools are worth keeping.

Read letters from locals

Fair questions

What the ballot says
What's a "mill levy," anyway?
It's the property tax rate, in an odd unit. One mill = $1 of tax per $1,000 of your home's taxable value. Colorado only taxes about 7% of a home's actual value for schools — so on a $1 million home, one mill is roughly $70 a year. 5A adds about 1.65 mills: about $1 a month per $100,000 of home value (about $12 a year). Commercial property is assessed at a higher rate.
Couldn't we just put more kids in a class?
Fair question — and the math answers it. Telluride R-1 has 752 students across 13 grades: about 58 per grade, already roughly two sections. Combining them doesn't remove the need for a chemistry teacher, a counselor, an aide or a bus driver. Costs don't shrink with enrollment either: same building, same boiler, same section of AP Chemistry whether it holds 12 students or 20. In a district this small, class size is the wrong lever.
But my property taxes already went up.
They did — and the school district didn't see a dime of it. Under Colorado's formula, when local property values rise, the State simply sends less. The district's budget stays flat. The only way local dollars reach local classrooms is a voter-approved override like 5A.
Didn't we just vote for this?
No. In November 2023 voters approved a $36.8 million bond (Ballot Issue 4A) for facility repairs and teacher housing. By law, bond money can only be spent on buildings — it cannot pay a single teacher's salary. Half went to repairs that had to happen regardless, and the housing will be needed either way. 5A is the operating budget: the people and programs in the classroom.
What is at stake if 5A does not pass?
Staff cuts of about 40% of our staff and teachers — at least 55 positions over five years, out of 142 — far beyond what the projected 13% enrollment decline would require. Telluride schools will be gutted, and the quality of education will be significantly hurt. Losing so many teachers and staff would reduce the support and educational opportunities available to every student.
How much will it cost?
About $1 a month per $100,000 of residential property value (about $12 a year). Commercial property is assessed at a higher rate: about $3.50 a month per $100,000 (about $42 a year).
What has the district already done to reduce expenses?
Over the past three years the district has cut 18 full-time positions (about 13%) while working to protect students — fewer course sections across all schools, reduced behavioral health services, and fewer support staff.
Isn't the funding drop just because enrollment is falling?
No. State funding already adjusts automatically when enrollment changes, because it's paid per student. The problem is a 17% cut in funding per student under the new state formula — that's what threatens programs, staffing and student support.
When do ballots arrive, and when are they due?
Ballots mail the week of October 5. Fill it out, sign the envelope, and return it by 7:00 p.m. on November 3, 2026. Don't mail it after October 27 — use a drop box instead.

How to vote

Here's exactly how and when to vote.

  1. Ballots mail

    Week of October 5, 2026

    Every active registered voter in San Miguel County gets a mail ballot. Watch for it the week of October 5.

  2. Return your ballot by

    7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 3, 2026

    Mailed ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day — don't mail it after October 27. Drop it off instead.

  3. Telluride drop box

    San Miguel County Clerk & Recorder — 305 W. Colorado Ave., Telluride

    24-hour drop box. Sign the outside of the envelope or your ballot won't count.

Not sure you're registered?

Register, update your address, or track your ballot at Colorado's official voter site.

GoVoteColorado.gov

You can register and vote in person through Election Day.

How you can help

This campaign runs on neighbors.

Voting yes is the most important thing you can do. After that, register for Walk & Talk — it's how we close the gap in the polls:

1

Vote

Ballots mail the week of Oct. 5. Return yours by 7:00 p.m. on Nov. 3 — and check your registration today.

How to vote

Doors and phone calls — the fastest way to move a vote this close

2

Register for Walk & Talk

The June 2026 voter survey had 5A at 45% yes and 51% no. School votes here are close — a 2014 Telluride bond passed by 24 votes. Walk & Talk is how we change that one conversation at a time: knock on your neighbors' doors or call people you know.

  1. 1

    Create a free volunteer account at walktalk5a.org.

  2. 2

    Set your goal — how many registered voters you want to reach for 5A.

  3. 3

    Knock doors, make calls, or do both: share why 5A matters, listen, and record each voter's stance.

Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. at Elks Park. Meet the team, pick up door hangers, and knock your first doors that morning. Coffee and donuts on us.

Register for Walk & Talk

Go solo, or bring your sports team, class, club, family or friends.

Survey: Beyond Your Base for Telluride School District R-1, June 2026 (296 responses).

3

Donate

This campaign is funded entirely by neighbors — there's no big money behind it. $25 doesn't feel like much, but it's what pays for door hangers, postage and translations, and those are what change a neighbor's mind. Give once, whatever you can.

♥ Donate now
4

Spread the word

Text or email other parents and get them registered for Walk & Talk at walktalk5a.org — or better, talk to them. A conversation at the mailbox beats any mailer.

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5

Show your support

Add your name to the public list of neighbors who support 5A. When undecided voters see how many of us there are, it moves them.

Join your neighbors and show your support for 5A

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