For Immediate Release
5.11.2022
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 La Veta Public Schools
Dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony today celebrating the completion of their new preschool – 12th grade facility for more than 200 students
“This new school shows a great partnership between La Veta Public Schools and the Building Excellent Schools Today program and symbolizes our commitment to educational excellence for every child in Colorado. It marks the beginning of a new era in La Veta in how we educate children in our community. Preparing our students for the rest of their lives has never been more important than right now.
This is a place where our children will have the tools to realize their dreams and potential. The new, safer schools will be a game changer in how we educate children and will continue to make La Veta appealing to families for decades to come.”
Colorado State Treasurer and former K-12 educator Dave Young
La Veta Public Schools
The plan for the school began in early 2017. The school district proposed applying for a Colorado BEST grant to build a new school on the largely empty property that housed the school's football field.
The district applied, and succeeded, in obtaining the Colorado BEST grant. Included in this process was a vote held by the school district that approved over $6 million in bonds, which were necessary to secure the funds from the state. The state then provided over $36 million for the school's construction, providing funding for the new $42 million K-12 school.
BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) Grant Program
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.
BEST is the only K-12 capital construction grant program in the state of Colorado.
Since its inception, 151 out of 178 school districts across the state have received more than $2 billion in BEST Grant Funding, improving learning environments for more than 325,000 students. During 2021, BEST generated $234 million dollars in school construction projects, creating or supporting 4,095 jobs.
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