Budget Reduction Blueprint

Jeffco’s top priority is to keep reductions as far from the classroom as possible. Schools and the departments that support them will work to protect resources that directly and positively impact student learning. 

Most of Jeffco’s budget—about 84%—is spent on people: teachers, bus drivers, counselors, coaches, custodians, and many others who support students every day. Because most of the budget is dedicated to staffing, reductions will inevitably affect people and services. 

Families and students may also notice changes outside of the classroom. This could include adjustments to transportation, fees for technology, athletics, or activities, and how certain services—such as meals—are offered. The community survey, which was open from October 1 through November 7, provided families, students, and staff with an opportunity to express their preferences on some of these changes.

Decisions will consider stakeholder input and will be made with care, balancing the need to protect the student experience today with the responsibility to keep Jeffco financially stable for the future. 

Because most of Jeffco’s budget is spent on people, both schools and central service departments will need to reduce staff. 

Any staff member whose position is affected will receive support from Jeffco and the Jeffco Business and Workforce Center, including help with resumes, job searches, and interviewing. Resources will also be available for payroll, health insurance, COBRA, unemployment and retirement planning. 

Jeffco’s priority is to retain people whenever possible. Each year, positions naturally open due to retirements, relocations, and other transitions. Impacted employees will be encouraged and supported to apply for available roles across the district. 

Each year, Jeffco schools and departments build budgets to decide how to best use resources to support students, staff and families. For 2026–27, the process remains the same—but the overall district budget will be smaller, meaning each school and department will have fewer dollars to work with. 

At schools, principals make decisions by working with their School Accountability Committees (SACs), which include parents, teachers and community members. Principals also collaborate with staff and leadership teams who understand student needs and daily school operations. 

Departments follow a similar approach, with leaders engaging team members to identify efficiencies and propose reductions that minimize impacts on students and schools. 

More information about Jeffco’s budgeting process is available through the Virtual Budget Lab. 

Each department’s budget reduction percentage is based on how directly its work supports students. 

• Departments that fund classroom teaching and learning have smaller reductions (about 2–4%). 
• Departments that serve students, but less directly, have larger reductions (about 4–8%). 
• Departments that support staff and students indirectly or serve compliance purposes have the largest reductions (about 8-11%). Most, but not all, department reductions do not exceed 11%.  

This approach ensures we protect resources closest to students first, while every part of the system contributes to reaching the district’s overall goal. Reductions are not across the board—they reflect feedback we heard from our community and are guided by Jeffco’s commitment to keep students first and ensure long-term financial health. 

To reach at least $45 million in savings, Jeffco will reduce funding in three main areas: 

• FTE (Job) Preservation Measures: approximately $5–$9 million in reductions that lower our spending without impacting jobs 
• Department Budgets: approximately $23–$30 million in reductions for central service departments that serve students and schools 
• School Budgets: approximately $9–$15 million in reductions to school budget allocations 

Across all areas, Jeffco will prioritize protecting resources closest to students. Budgets that directly support classroom instruction will have lower reduction targets. 

No. Jeffco will not make cuts to the Department of School Safety. The district is committed to strengthening safety measures wherever possible and hopes to invest more if new revenue becomes available. 

Ideas for additional investments under consideration include: 

• 100% School Resource Officer (SRO) funding and increased number of SROs to support ALL secondary schools 
• Increased Campus Supervisor coverage 
• Increase to R-1 armed patrol 
• Central capital reserve refresh for safety and security infrastructure (e.g. security cameras) 
• Other investments that may emerge as we consider and pilot additional safety measures. Examples include:  
  • Visitor/volunteer screening tools  
  • Weapon detection systems 
  • K9 weapon detection services  
  • Badge systems for identification and building access   

Only 5% of Jeffco’s 2025–26 budget is spent on general administration—among the lowest of large Colorado districts. The remaining 95% funds services that directly or indirectly support students—such as teachers, counselors, school nurses, mental health staff, curriculum, athletics, transportation, and food services. In Jeffco, these supports are provided through both department and school budgets.

Most department budgets pay for critical supports that make learning possible across all schools, including: 

• Student Support Services: Counselors, social workers, psychologists, mental health and SEL specialists, and special education staff such as learning specialists, speech language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, and paraeducators. 
• Health and Safety: School nurses, vision and hearing screening staff, health equipment, and School Safety personnel. 
• Instructional and Equity Supports: CLDE teachers and tutors, dual-language coaches, interpreters, and translation services. 
• Operational Supports: Bus drivers, custodians, and maintenance staff who keep schools safe and running every day. 
• Learning Tools: Core curriculum materials for math and literacy, technology support staff, and digital infrastructure that keeps classrooms connected. 

These resources are vital to school operations and student well-being—even though they are not part of individual school budgets. 

Yes. All areas of the district are being reviewed as part of the Budget Reduction Blueprint, including leadership and administrative positions. 

The first confirmed reduction for 2026-27 and beyond is the Deputy Superintendent position, which already reduces the size of the district leadership team by nearly 10%. Additional leadership and administrative structures will continue to be evaluated alongside all other departments to ensure resources stay as close to students as possible while maintaining effective district operations. 

At the November 13 Board of Education meeting, a timeline for department-funded personnel impacts was presented. This timeline can be found in the November 13 Budget Reduction Blueprint presentation to the Board. The timeline is as follows: 

• November 13: Department reduction plans (percentage reduction and total amount) announced 
• By December 2: Department-funded staff complete intent form and optional survey 
• December 12: Survey results shared with department-funded staff 
• December 15–17: Individual notification of reduced positions for department-funded staff 
  • Once notified, impacted individuals will receive detailed information about supports, benefits and next steps. 
• December 18: Publish and communicate final reductions and service-level impact on schools 
• February-April 2026: Internal Hiring Activities for 2026-27 
• June 2026: Reductions Effective 

Jeffco is committed to supporting any staff member who is impacted by budget reduction decisions. All steps will align with negotiated agreements with JCEA and JESPA. Jeffco staff can visit the Supports for Impacted staff webpage on the Jeffco intranet to access support and resources from the Jeffco Human Resources Team and our partners at the Jeffco Business and Workforce Center. 

Resources include resume assistance, access to job boards, career coaching, hiring fairs, and guidance on interviewing and job searching; as well as information about benefits, including payroll, health insurance, COBRA, unemployment and retirement planning. 

Every January, Jeffco’s 145 school principals receive their projected budget for the following school year, and collaborate with their School Accountability Committees to make decisions about how to best spend their resources in support of student learning and experiences. This year is no different — though schools’ overall budgets may be smaller. 

The total amount of money that schools receive next year will be reduced by approximately $14 million. There are multiple factors related to those reductions. The Budget Reduction Blueprint will result in the base amount of district funding schools receive per student being reduced between 1.5-4.5%. Smaller schools that serve more at-risk students will have a smaller reduction, while larger schools with fewer at-risk students will have a larger reduction. Enrollment will also impact school budgets for the 2026-27 school year.

Stakeholder input helps Jeffco understand community priorities. As department leaders and principals build next year’s budgets with fewer dollars, they will use these priorities to guide decisions. 

Early survey results show that families want to protect classroom resources and the student experience. This feedback will shape how department leaders plan reductions and allocate funding. The Partnership for Fiscal Sustainability has also provided feedback on communication materials and emphasized the importance of pursuing new revenue, not just reductions. 

As principals develop school budgets, they will continue to collaborate with staff, School Accountability Committees, and their broader communities to ensure decisions reflect shared priorities. 

Feedback from staff, families and community members helped shape both the design and focus of department targets. Across all engagement activities, we heard strong support for protecting classroom instruction, reducing administrative costs before cutting student-facing services, and exploring new revenue sources. These priorities directly informed how reduction targets were set and how the district will move forward.

Jeffco is committed to instructional excellence, extraordinary student experiences, and responsible stewardship of public resources. The district works continuously to improve efficiency and focus dollars where they matter most. For example: 

• Since 2021, Jeffco has closed 21 schools through the Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools initiative. With declining enrollment, we focused our resources on fewer schools to provide extraordinary experiences for every student and staff member. These closures generated about $20 million per year in cost savings — which was helpful, but only a portion of our much larger structural deficit. 
• Jeffco also manages surplus properties through a transparent, public process that generates revenue for the capital fund while balancing community interests. It’s important to know that revenue from the sale of these properties is required by policy to be reinvested in capital investments, like building improvements. These one-time funds cannot be used toward salaries or other non-capital expenses. 
• Jeffco partners with organizations and pursues grants that expand services without drawing from the general fund. For example, the Hazel Health partnership provides free physical and mental health care to students, and the Jeffco Schools Foundation secures grants that directly support classrooms. 

Jeffco currently collects the lowest additional revenue per student among large metro-area districts, which limits available resources for students. 

The district may explore voter-approved Mill Levy Override (MLO) measures through Funding Jeffco Kids Can Count On, a community-driven effort to strengthen local schools. Increasing the mill levy by one mill could generate approximately $15 million in new revenue, with an estimated $43 annual increase in property taxes for a home valued at $600,000. 

This effort is about more than funding, it is about ensuring that every Jeffco student has what they need to learn and thrive, supported by a community that invests in their success. 

Because the district must spend less money next year, we are reviewing every part of the budget. In some areas, we may need to choose between reducing a service or adding a small fee to help cover part of its cost. Fees would only make up a very small share of the overall budget gap, but these choices affect students most directly. We want to understand what our community prefers—whether to pay a fee to keep certain services as they are, or to reduce them slightly instead. Your voice and choice matter as we make these decisions.

Jeffco encourages all stakeholders—students, families, staff and community members—to help shape future decisions. Engagement opportunities this fall include: 

• Participating in an in-person or virtual Budget Lab 
• Completing a community survey 
• Reviewing FAQs and information on the district Budget Reduction Blueprint webpage
• Joining the Partnership for Fiscal Sustainability

Later in the school year, additional opportunities will be shared for school-level engagement, including surveys to identify community priorities for individual schools. 

Not at this time. A four-day week would be a very significant change for school and district operations as well as for students, families and staff. It would require extensive engagement with our community before even being considered. At this time, Jeffco is not pursuing a four-day school week as part of the budget reduction process.