Audit Raises Questions Over DPS Debt Practices As Taxpayers Foot the Bill
By Nico Brambila | The Denver Gazette
Denver Public Schools is operating with a negative net position — owing more in long-term obligations than it holds in assets — a rare and troubling financial posture for a major Colorado school district, according to an audit.
Presented on Thursday, the audit for fiscal year 2024–25, which ended June 30, showed the district is carrying $4.07 billion in long-term liabilities. (For context, the district budget last fiscal year was about $1.5 billion.)
Total assets remained lower, even after the district added nearly $1 billion in unspent 2024 bond proceeds to its books — cash voters approved a year ago that had not yet been put to use.
As those bond dollars are spent, the cash asset will disappear, while the long-term debt remains,...

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