So about that $450K facilities number . . .
Reminder: Independent parent group — not affiliated with or endorsed by FASD.
TL;DR
FASD's gala marketing materials say the school spends nearly $450K per year on facilities.
That number is broadly defensible if you add up every facilities-related line item — but more than half (~$289K) is already covered by dedicated funding sources that don’t depend on parent donations. The general fund burden is closer to $187K.
Meanwhile, $84,838 in Mill Levy Override 2020 funds (MLO 2020) is budgeted to consulting services in FY26 — a new use that didn't exist in prior years. I checked three comparable DPS charter schools (four campuses total). None of them appear to spend MLO 2020 on consulting.
This raises a broader question: whether using voter-approved MLO funds for consulting is consistent with the intent of the measure and the school’s charter.
I emailed school leadership on Friday, March 13 asking two questions about this line item. As of publication, I have not received a response. I'll update this post if they reply.
Parent Recap (What Happened)
The $450K Claim
FASD's spring gala page states that the school "is responsible for securing and funding its facilities — a cost that amounts to nearly $450K this year alone." Facilities are a real challenge for charter schools, and that's not in dispute.
But there's an important distinction between "total facilities cost" and "the amount parent fundraising needs to help cover."
Here's how the ~$476K in total facilities spending breaks down in the FY26 adopted budget:
The dedicated-funding portion — more than half the total — comes from voter-approved mill levy overrides and state capital construction funds. These flow to the school automatically based on enrollment. They don't depend on parent donations. In other words: more than half of the “$450K facilities cost” cited in fundraising materials is already covered before any donations are raised.
What Caught My Eye
While tracing the $450K figure through the budget, I noticed something unexpected. FASD's MLO 2020 fund shows two line items in FY26, both labeled generically as ‘ML 2020,’ with no description of how the funds are actually used:
Object Code “0441” is Rental of land and buildings; “0334” is Consultant services
In all prior years, FASD's MLO 2020 money went entirely to facilities. The consulting line is new in FY26, and the only way to tell that $85K is going to consulting is to look up the object codes.
How Other DPS Charter Schools Use MLO 2020
I pulled the published budgets of three comparable DPS-authorized charter schools to see whether this is standard practice.
| School | MLO 2020 use | MLO 2020 label | MLO → consulting? |
|---|---|---|---|
| FASD | Facilities + consulting | "ML 2020" (generic) | $84,838 |
| DLS (~905 students) | Facilities / transportation | "ML – 2020 Facility" | $0 |
| Odyssey (~333 students) | Facilities only | "MLO 2020 – Applied to Facility Use Fee Only" | $0 |
| Highline (2 campuses, ~600 students) | Teacher salaries | "ML - 2020 Equalization" | $0 |
The other schools spend MLO 2020 funds on facilities and teacher salaries — consistent with the spirit of what Denver voters approved. FASD is the only one that spends MLO 2020 on consulting, and only this year. You'd have to dig into the object codes to see it.
Why It Matters
This isn't about whether consulting is ever useful. It's about which pot of money pays for it.
If the $85K in MLO-funded consulting were instead classified in the general fund, the gala's facilities figure would be ~$365K instead of "nearly $450K," and the consulting spend would be more visible to parents and the board. FASD's charter contract (Section 12.b) also states the school will use MLO funds "in accordance with ballot measure language approved by voters" — and the 2020 ballot measure described funding for staff, mental health, and student support — not general consulting services.
A Note on Process
FASD's financial transparency page includes a disclaimer:
I took that at face value. On Friday, March 13, I emailed the Interim Executive Director asking what the $84,838 consulting line covers and whether DPS has approved it as an MLO 2020 use. As of publication, I haven't received a response. If the school replies, I'll update this post.
The “Since You’re Here…” Section
Unofficial reflections — offered in good faith (and with a grain of salt)
I want to be explicit: the section above is my attempt to keep things factual and balanced. This section is my personal perspective.
Facilities really are a significant cost for charter schools. I don't question that.
But when families are being asked to donate $60,000 at a spring gala — with the $450K facilities burden cited as a key reason — it's reasonable to want a clean answer: how much of that cost is truly uncovered, and how much is already paid for by voter-approved funding?
And when $85K of those voter-approved funds is quietly going to consultants instead of the building — under a generic label, in a way no comparable school appears to do — that appears out of step with the voters’ mandate — and is worth asking about.
That's not cynicism. That's just showing your work.
~ Greg
Methodology: How I Traced the Numbers
The $450K Facilities Estimate
I identified all line items in the FY26 adopted budget that relate to facilities by matching object codes to the DPS chart of accounts. Object codes used: 0410 (water/sewer), 0421 (trash), 0423 (janitorial), 0430 (repairs), 0441 (rental of land/buildings), 0620 (energy). Capital construction funding (fund 3113) was also included as a facilities cost. The total across these codes is approximately $476K — consistent with the gala's "nearly $450K" claim.
FASD's MLO 2020 Spending Over Time
The MLO 2020 fund is identified by program code 2020 at the end of each budget line. Here is every expense line coded to fund 2020 across all four years of published FASD budgets:
| Year | Object Codes | Total | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY23 (revised) | 0441 (rent) | $80,948 | 100% facilities |
| FY24 (revised) | 0441 (rent), 0423 (janitorial) | $160,839 | 100% facilities |
| FY25 (amended) | 0441 (rent), 0423 (janitorial) | $254,840 | 100% facilities |
| FY26 (adopted) | 0441 (rent), 0334 (consulting) | $282,794 | 70% facilities, 30% consulting |
The shift from janitorial (code 0423) to consulting (code 0334) in FY26 is what prompted the comparator analysis.
Comparator School Selection
I selected DPS-authorized charter schools were included in the school’s “DPS Bell Times Sampling” file.
Sources
FASD FY26, FY25, FY24, FY23 Budget Details — fasdenver.org/fianancial-disclosures
FASD 2026 Spring Gala page — fasdenver.org/2026-gala (accessed March 2026)
FASD Signed Charter Contract (July 2025–June 2030) — Section 12.b
DLS FY26 Adopted Budget Detail — denverlanguageschool.org/budgets
Odyssey FY26 Adopted Budget — odysseydenver.org/financial-transparency
Highline Academy FY26 Budget Detail (SE and NE) — highlineacademy.org/about-us/financial-transparency
DPS "2020 Bond and Mill Levy Overview" — ourwordourbonddps.org
DPS Bond & Mill Levy FAQs — ourwordourbonddps.org/2020-bond-mill-levy/2020-school-funding-questions
