SummaryofBEST09-10Applications
Source: Education News Colorado
By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO
The state Public School Capital Construction Assistance Board has recommended $127.4 million in lease-purchase financing and cash grants in the first large round of funding under the Build Excellent Schools Today program.
Projects receiving funding a swimming pool building in Deer Trail, an historic school in Silverton where the heat doesn’t work, the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs, a school with large propane tanks next to the playground, a new PRE-12 campus in Fairplay, a Cedaredge elementary school that’s bisected by a street and a Routt County charter school that now uses a yurt.
The most successful large districts in getting projects approved were Mapleton and Westminster, while Douglas County, Buena Vista and Salida didn’t fare so well.
Mapleton had the largest project approved, a $53.1 million renovation of its Skyview campus, which would include $31.3 million in state BEST funds and $21.7 million in local funds, for which the district hopes to winner voter approval in November. The district lost a bond election last fall. The Park County project in Fairplay was the second largest at $30.1 million state and local.
The largest project not funded as a proposed $44.8 million plan of renovations and new high school construction in Monte Vista.
In general, money for large projects is used to pay off multi-year lease-purchase agreements. Smaller projects get direct cash grants.
The board recommended funding 51 of the 91 applications submitted. In a few case, applicants didn’t receive the full amounts.
A system used to rank projects gives priority to health and safety needs, and the board funded all projects that had received such a ranking.
The board’s recommendations now go to the State Board of Education, which will make the final grants at its August meeting. Lease-purchase funds won’t be available until next year, after the state treasurer completes financing arrangements.
Applications for the next big round of grants are expected to open next January and be considered by the construction board in June 2010. That round will be the first after completion of a statewide assessment of the needs of all school buildings in the state.
The board has made some smaller grants, but the ones recommended during two days of meetings Wednesday and Thursday were the first large group since the BEST program went into effect last year.
Distributed by Colorado Capitol Reporters
