The NoCo Herald

Larimer and Weld counties, Colorado

Clear, 64° in Loveland at 2:20 PM. Forecast high 60, low 37.

Loveland

Thompson bond committee says it is on track to meet 85% spending requirement

·Loveland·Larimer County

From the Thompson School District Board of Education meeting of

Committee chair Dan Tran reported about $88.7 million in bond funds, with about $4.2 spent and about $22.5 encumbered, meaning committed. Tran said 85% must be spent within the first three years to maintain nonprofit status and that the committee was on track to meet that.

Thompson School District's roughly $88.7 million bond program is on track to meet the requirement to spend 85% within three years, with about $4.2 million spent and about $22.5 million committed so far, the chair of the citizen bond oversight committee told the school board Nov. 4.

Committee chair Dan Tran reported about $88.7 million in bond funds, with about $4.2 spent and about $22.5 encumbered, meaning committed. Tran said 85% must be spent within the first three years to maintain nonprofit status and that the committee was on track to meet that. He said the committee tracks project schedules and works toward a five-year completion.

Tran said the committee's first recommendation to the board was to take $750,000 from contingency for critical needs. He said the committee had a lengthy discussion at that meeting. He said the committee monitors projects, evaluates remaining bond projects and reviews contingencies to check that funds remain available and are spent wisely.

A board member asked whether inflation and other conditions had reduced the district's construction buying power. A staff member answered that the district had not lost buying power, and that the two big risk projects came in within budget. "Fortunately we have not," the staff member said.

Committee members pushed for the dashboards that staff now produce, a member of the committee said. "They kept asking for additional information on the dashboard," the member said. Tran said the committee requested dashboards for individual sites and for the bond program overall.

At the September meeting, 18 sites had projects large enough to warrant dashboards, a speaker at the meeting said. More sites had been added for the Dec. 9 meeting, and the committee expected to eventually have dashboards for about 33 sites. The overall dashboard begins with cash-flow and financial information and a report on how many bond line items have been addressed, the speaker said.

Tran said the committee includes community members with expertise and parents. A committee member said several members have project-management backgrounds and called it a good committee.

Tran described the committee as "not a rubber stamp committee" and said meeting length varies with the questions members ask. In response to a board member's question, a participant confirmed that the committee chooses what it reviews and how closely, with staff supporting its requests.

Tran described how the committee works:

  • It meets quarterly, holds special meetings as needed and opens all meetings to the public.
  • A quorum is 50%, and action items pass by simple majority.
  • It elects a chair and vice chair every other year, and they prepare agendas with staff and facilitate meetings.

A committee member said bond information is available at tsdbond.org, with sections for elementary and middle schools.

More from this meeting

  1. Thompson School District Board of Education study session, Nov. 4, 2026

    Thompson schools face $91.8 million in ADA work, with funding identified only for first phase; Thompson school board weighs keeping Mary Blair name for new campus; Thompson schools weigh modern band and advanced psychology courses.

  2. Item 4.1Thompson schools face $91.8 million in ADA work, with funding identified only for first phase

    The first stage calls for accessible parking and exterior routes at each site, plus interior routes to a classroom and assembly area and an accessible toilet room at each school, within five years.

  3. Item 4.2Thompson school board weighs keeping Mary Blair name for new campus

    The committee recommended retaining the former school's name, with two versions for the board to consider. The one-time signage expense is estimated at $5,000, and implementation is proposed to begin Nov. 18.

  4. Item 4.3Thompson schools weigh modern band and advanced psychology courses

    The band course carries a proposed $15 supply fee and would count for fine arts credit. The psychology class may be paired with college credit if its instructor is approved by a university or partner; the board can approve or deny both proposals.

  5. Item 4.4, Item 4.5 and Item 4.6Thompson board weighs lower SAT math cut score for graduation

    The proposed policy would set the SAT math cutoff at 480 and restore the diploma of distinction for students graduating from 2026 through 2029. The changes received first readings and are not final.

  6. Item 6.1Thompson schools could get $12.6 million more in 2027-28, depending on how Legislature implements ballot measures

    The projected revenue depends on how lawmakers implement two measures, while enrollment declines and rising insurance costs could offset some of it. District funding calculations remain pending, with budget updates expected nearly every month.