Colorado voters last year roundly rejected a plan to increase taxes for five years to raise nearly $3 billion for education.

The measure failed in Adams and Arapahoe counties, which are home to Aurora Public Schools, the Cherry Creek School District, and Sheridan Public Schools. It also failed in Jefferson County, home to Jeffco Schools.

Despite that vote — and because of significant state cuts to K-12 education in recent years — each of those districts is asking voters this year for additional money.

Those who say the failure of Proposition 103 — which we opposed — showed voters have no appetite for additional education spending misread the results. The outcome was more reflective of voter skepticism of a short-term fix that lacked specific proposals as the answer to what ails education in the state.

We are supportive of the following local measures because education is one of the most important investments we can make in our communities. Good schools not only produce an educated workforce, but they also improve property values and make Colorado more attractive to new businesses and residents.

An analysis by the free-market Independence Institute points out that in the last 10 years, per-pupil funding in three of the districts asking voters for more money increased, on an inflation-adjusted basis, between 8.4 percent (Cherry Creek) and 19.5 percent (Aurora). But that review looks at the wrong time frame in that it includes the years immediately after voters approved Amendment 23, which boosted school funding beginning in 2001 to make up for years of underfunding from the state.

A more accurate measure is to look at the last four years to see the impact of renewed state cuts.

Overall, these measures would raise an additional $320 million for schools in the area. We don’t take that sort of spending lightly.

But these ballot issues are not windfalls. They are intended to help the districts stem the bleeding.

Do we worry about the long-term fiscal health of the Public Employees Retirement Association, or PERA, that funds teacher pensions? Yes. Do we think the state should be putting more toward education? Absolutely. Do we know that many families will have to take a close look at their budgets if these measures pass? Yes.

But those concerns do not disqualify the following measures that voters are being asked to support this year.

Jeffco Schools 3A/3B: Yes

Voters in Colorado’s largest school district are being asked to approve a $39 million mill-levy override to pay for operational costs (issue 3A) and a $99 million bond to pay for building maintenance and repair (issue 3B).

The district’s budget has been cut by $63 million since 2009, including the elimination of 447 jobs and pay cuts of 3 percent.

District officials say that failure to pass the measures will result in $45 million in additional cuts in 2013-14.

To make the case that the district is wise with its money, one need only look back to the last mill-levy increase passed in 2004. The projects funded by that bond were built on time and under budget. Leftover money went into the district’s reserves, which were tapped to help lessen the blow of decreased state funding in recent years.

Cherry Creek Schools 3A/3B: Yes

Voters are being asked to approve a $25 million mill-levy override for operational expenses (issue 3A) and a $135 million bond for long-term capital costs (issue 3B).

Money from the bond would go to add new wings to Cherokee Trail and Grand View high schools (saving taxpayers $84 million by eliminating the need to build a new school); updating all six high schools in the district with classrooms geared toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics instruction; and renovation and repairs at numerous others. The projects were pared down from a list of more than $400 million in needed work.

The district has reduced its general fund budget by nearly $40 million in the last four years.

Cherry Creek’s management history with its bonds is exemplary.

Aurora Public Schools 3C: Yes

Voters are being asked to approve a $15 million mill-levy override to help make up for nearly $70 million in lost state money. Issue 3C is expected to cost homeowners an additional $68.52 per year for every $100,000 in assessed valuation. That’s not an insignificant amount to many people in Aurora, but the return on that investment could be even more significant.

Sheridan District 2 bond: Yes

Sheridan voters have the opportunity to significantly improve school facilities. A “yes” vote on a $6.5 million bond would deliver $23 million in state money, which would then be used for a new school campus for third- through eighth-grade students.