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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
VOLUME 96 | ISSUE 43
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Taxpayers The ‘dream team’ of children’s theater opens new nonprofit in Denver may get lower refunds next year BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
Low funding in schools is one factor impacting youth access to studying the performing arts. Some
Colorado taxpayers are projected to receive refund checks next year that are slightly smaller than anticipated, state economists said, though the exact amounts will be determined by whether voters approve a 10-year property tax relief plan on the November ballot. If the ballot measure, Proposition HH, doesn’t pass, Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refund amounts will be at least $628 — or $40 less than anticipated — for people who are single tax filers and earn up to $50,000. The refund checks will be at least $1,834 — or about $150 less than anticipated — for people who earn $278,001 or more. If Proposition HH passes, the TABOR refund checks will be flat rate and not determined by income levels. Under revised data presented to the legislature Wednesday, the checks would be $832 for single tax filers, down from the $898 that was anticipated. In both cases, the refund amounts are doubled for joint tax filers. The exact sums could still shift slightly depending on the state’s accounting methods for tax revenue collected in the 2022-23 fiscal year, which ended June 30 and on which the TABOR refunds are based. The checks will be sent out next year after people file their 2023 tax returns.
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Students with Mile High Youth Theatre participate in a promotional photo shoot in March. The photos were used to launch the ALL PHOTOS BY KASSIE ELMORE/BEEN FRAMED new nonprofit’s website and social media presence. BY ELICIA HESSELGRAVE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Parents have come to think of Christina Roberts and Bussy Gower as the dream team of children’s theater. “They create an environment where kids are supportive of one another and feel safe to be imaginative,” said parent Lindsay Hicks. “Most of all, they are confidencebuilders who empower kids to take risks and try new things.” Roberts and Gower are co-
founders of a new nonprofit theater organization called Mile High Youth Theatre, which offers local youth the opportunity to learn performing skills at an affordable price. Located at 940 Fillmore St., it is the only nonprofit focused specifically on youth theater within a 15-mile radius of Congress Park, Roberts said. The inaugural semester began in August, serving youth ages 4 to 18. Roberts, who serves as the executive director, and Gower, the artistic director, are established performers in the Denver area and have 20
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years of combined theater experience. They noticed a gap in programming for kids who don’t have access to studies of the performing arts or otherwise cannot afford it. “Our goal is to reduce barriers to arts access in the Denver metro area,” said Roberts. Eliminating financial barriers
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