For Immediate Release
1.11.2023
Sheena Kadi
Communications Director & Public Information Officer
sheena.kadi@state.co.us
303-349-8113
Colorado Treasurer Dave Young Statement on Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Grant Recipient Rocky Ford R-2 School District
Groundbreaking ceremony for new K-12 school, funded in part by a BEST Grant
OTERO COUNTY, CO - TODAY, Rocky Ford R-2 School District celebrates the groundbreaking for the new K-12 school.
“This new school shows a great partnership between the Rocky Ford School District and the BEST program, symbolizing our commitment to educational excellence for every child in Colorado. Preparing our students for the rest of their lives has never been more important than right now.
The BEST Program is a critical funding partner to make building in rural areas more affordable to the community. This is a place where our children will have the tools to realize their potential and make their dreams come true. The new school will be a game changer in how we educate children and will continue to make Rocky Ford appealing to families for decades to come.”
Colorado State Treasurer and former K-12 educator Dave Young
BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) Grant Program
BEST is the only K-12 capital construction grant program in the state of Colorado.
BEST grants are funded through local matching dollars, State Land Board, Lottery, and excise tax revenues. This partnership has helped us to generate over $3.4 billion in school construction projects in almost every district in the state, improving the learning environments of hundreds of thousands of students. In FY 2022 alone, BEST generated more than $500 million in projects that created or supported almost 10,000 jobs.
Established in 2008 with the signing of House Bill 08-1335, BEST provides an annual amount of funding in the form of competitive grants to school districts, charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative educational services, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. BEST funds can be used for the construction of new schools as well as general construction and renovation of existing school facility systems and structures.
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