For Immediate Release
5.14.2022
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 Manzanola School District
Ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of their new addition and renovation to serve over 80 students in the Temple Buell Jr/Sr High School Building
“This new school shows a great partnership between Manzanola School District 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 Manzanola 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 Manzanola appealing to families for decades to come.” Colorado State Treasurer and former K-12 educator Dave Young
Manzanola School District
Manzanola School District was awarded a $31 million BEST Grant to build a new addition to the existing Temple Buell Jr/Sr High School building.
Manzanola is a small rural town located in the southeastern part of Colorado in the Arkansas Valley in Otero County. Manzanola School District 3J is comprised of Manzanola Elementary School (K-5) and Manzanola Jr-Sr High School (6-12). The current enrollment of each school is about 85 students. Bobcat Pride runs deep throughout this small community.
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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