It had to cut teachers and put more students in classrooms to deal with budget cuts.
Douglas County Schools also had some unspent money in its 2010-2011 budget. A $66.4 million balance, or a "rainy-day fund," as the schools are calling it.
Unlike a "rainy-day fund" at home, Douglas County Schools cannot spend every penny of it on teachers for instance, or to build a new building, officials tell 9NEWS.
"We care about our students and our teachers," Douglas County Schools spokesperson Randy Barber said. "The first thing we're trying to do is to make sure that cuts don't affect them. The money we have set aside is for an emergency and every attempt has been made to ensure that we use that money wisely."
This money is by no means a "surplus," Barber says.
He says the districts bond company has given them the highest rating possible because of their "responsible handling of our finances, including our fund balance."
It tells 9NEWS it is required by law to keep some of that money and the funds are restricted. That is true for every school district in Colorado.
That leaves the schools with $15 million that is not "restricted."
Douglas County Schools says it will spend the money to possibly stave off cuts in the near future, to manage anticipated growth in student population, and for emergencies.
The district says some of the fund balance came from lower than expected fuel and energy prices.
Plus, some schools saved money that was allocated to them. The schools can do that to keep the money for a project that's in the works.
Douglas County Schools, like any school district, has to be transparent about how they spent your dollars. You can find out more about their budget by going to https://www.dcsdk12.org/budgetfacts/index.htm.
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)