The Steamboat Springs Education Fund (SSEF) is a nonprofit, independent corporation that administers the proceeds of the half-cent sales tax—five cents on a $10 purchase. The half-cent city sales tax was originally approved by Steamboat voters in 1993 to fund “public K-12 educational purposes.” The tax was extended by voter approval in four subsequent elections. In 2009, voters extended the tax and expanded the purpose to share a portion of the proceeds of the tax with other Routt County public schools. Since 1993, more than $81.5M has been granted directly for public K-12 education in Routt County.
The Education Fund Board (EFB) administers the funds collected from the half-cent sales tax and exists to facilitate, govern and provide accountability for the allocation of the funds. Click here for the current operating agreement with the City of Steamboat Springs. The EFB consists of up to 11 voting members. Board members are appointed for three-year terms. The EFB vets applications for grant funding for student-facing staff, programs, technology and capital projects from all public school districts in Routt County and from non-profit community groups with school-based programming. Following each school year, the EFB collects detailed information regarding how SSEF funds were spent and how those funds impacted student achievement.