December Superintendent Blog – Passing the School Bond is Great for the Students and the Community
Dear Parents, Staff, and Community Members,
Thank you so much for overwhelmingly passing the Dolores School Bond! A special thanks goes out to the Citizens Bond Committee, which worked tirelessly to help educate our community on the true needs of the district. Yes, this is a big win for our staff and students, but it’s also a big win for our community.
We will be able to construct a facility that will be, first and foremost, safe! New secured entrances will provide the highest level of safety. This new design will provide a safe and secure outdoor learning area and a place to eat lunch and not be in harm’s way. All the new classrooms will be built to state standards for size, accessibility, lighting, acoustics, and air quality. This will certainly benefit our teachers and our students in the learning environment. The new science labs will allow our middle school students access to a fully functional science lab that is not available now, and the new labs will be fully equipped to offer advanced science classes. New facilities don’t guarantee academic gains, but they certainly will allow our students to learn at a higher level and take pride in their school.
While our students and parents will certainly benefit, our community will benefit also. New schools have a way of refreshing the town. It is a sign to all that pass through that we care about our students and the town’s future so much that we invest in them and their education. New buildings beget new buildings; it’s typical to see more new businesses and housing as new schools go in. New housing attracts new families, and it’s typical to see growth in the town and student populations. New buildings also encourage renovation and a renewed vigor to refresh our existing properties to help beautify our town. This has already occurred in Dolores, and I believe it will continue.
We still have a lot of work to do. I will lead a team as we refresh our BEST grant and submit it in January. I will interview with the selection committee on May 13th, and we will hear the outcome of our grant application on May 15th. If we are awarded the grant, we will get final approval from the Colorado State Legislature in mid-June and can proceed. Right off the bat, there will be a lot of work with Lawyers and finance experts to help us prepare for construction. We will, of course, have to select our construction company through a competitive bid process and then select an architect who will turn out construction documents as quickly as they can. A lot of planning and preparation will go in before we ever start construction, but this is necessary for a successful project. If all goes well and the weather is nice, we could move into a new high school in 2026.