Jefferson County Schools is moving forward with a plan to resolve a minimum $45 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2027, which includes the elimination of approximately 150 to 160 budgeted Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions within central departments. The detailed plan, presented to the Board of Education on November 13, 2025, outlines strategic cuts designed to minimize impact on direct student instruction while simultaneously launching an initiative to generate new local revenue.
The district’s strategy, heavily shaped by over 8,200 pieces of community feedback, targets departmental budgets for a reduction of approximately $26–$27 million. The district is committed to managing these staff reductions primarily through attrition, retirement, and typical turnover whenever possible, with individual staff notifications scheduled for mid-December 2025.
Strategic Tiered Reductions
The budget cuts are tiered to protect classroom resources, reflecting stakeholder priorities:
- Lowest Cuts (2–4%): Applied to general and special education instruction—budgets that provide the most direct service to students.
- Mid-Level Cuts (4.1–7.9%): Applied to budgets providing instructional support services.
- Highest Cuts (8–11%):** Applied to central functions, compliance, and general administration, which also faced the largest reduction target, including the elimination of the Deputy Superintendent position.
Notably, the Department of Safety and Security will face no reductions under this plan.
School Budget Adjustments
School-based budgets will also be reduced by approximately $14 million through adjustments to the Student-Based Budgeting (SBB) formula, averaging a ~2.5% reduction across all schools.
- Differentiated Approach: Cuts will range from ~1.5% to ~4.5% per school. Smaller schools and those with higher populations of “at-risk” students will see smaller reductions to protect their purchasing power.
- Site-based Authority: Principals and School Accountability Committees will retain the authority to make local staffing decisions based on the new allocations, meaning specific FTE cuts at the school level will vary.
Looking Ahead: Revenue Generation
To ensure long-term fiscal health, the district is focusing on a long-term goal of obtaining new local revenue, noting that Jeffco’s funding lags significantly behind its Front Range peers. The board will form a new committee to craft a proposal for a 2026 ballot measure aimed at sustaining district excellence through funding for:
- Safe and welcoming schools
- Career-connected learning
- Competitive compensation for educators
The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the final FY27 Budget adoption in June 2026.
Source: Board Presentation
