26Jan
27J Schools Passes First Mill Levy Override in 22 Years
In November 2022, 27J Schools passed its first mill levy override in over two decades, securing much needed funding for school safety, career development opportunities, and increased teacher pay.
I am 27J’s work to mobilize and rally the community together resulted in the majority of votes in favor of the mill levy override, 56% to 44%. The passage of this mill levy override is a historic and much-needed win for youth, families, and the larger community. Congratulations 27J!!!
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| RMP’s Community-Led Coalition celebrates work they’ve done in partnership with 27J Schools to educate and mobilize the community around the mill levy override. | Members of the RMP’s Community-Led Coalition and staff celebrate the mill levy override with Dr. Chris Fiedler, Superintendent of 27J Schools and RMP Co-Chair. |
Overheard at 27J Schools’ Election Watch Party…
I’ve been through this seven times. This community rallying together is what’s different.
What we did here together has to be part of our culture, not just an event.
How RMP’s Community Coalition Supported 27J Schools
Over the last several months, a youth and community-led coalition mobilized through RMP and worked with I am 27J to help educate and turn out voters in order to pass this mill levy override.
We connected with over 900 community members at over 20 community meetings and events, educating youth and families on the importance of the mill levy override and how every single person can make a difference by voting ‘yes’ on 5B.
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The passage of this mill levy override shows that community-driven advocacy works, and while this effort was the initial focus for RMP’s Community-Led Coalition, it certainly won’t be the last as RMP continues to forge ahead in closing equity gaps across our community.
Click the button below to other photos and snapshots from this effort.
Coalition Leaders
The youth and community-led coalition is led by a core team of community members who are community members who live or grew up in the RMP region, referred to as ‘Civic Influencers’.
In order to effectively mobilize and take action, they receive the following support through the Rocky Mountain Partnership:
- Compensation for their time through stipends
- Training, education, and direct support from the RMP team to understand the ins and outs of the mill levy override
- Dedicated resources to support the coalition to take action.
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| Gabriela Chavez | Sarah Justice Hughes | Ana Ruiz |
Thank You To Our Supporters
The work of RMP’s youth and community-led coalition would not be possible the invaluable support RMP received from:
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Learn More
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Contact Matt Horn at MattHorn@RMPBackbone.org with additional questions or to learn more. |