The BEST News Continues to Shine
Though news about school district operating funding remains grim, good news continues to be generated by the "Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST)" school construction program. Yesterday, the BEST board recommended approval of another $245 million for specific school construction grants throughout the state. This brings the total number of BEST projects to 63. As State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, an architect of the BEST program, noted:
“These are aging schools that have critical needs. . . . These funds will be used to remove asbestos, make sure buildings have heat in the winter, and fix fire systems and roofs. These are basic health and safety measures that we can’t afford to ignore. ““This construction is creating jobs in addition to meeting health and safety needs,” said Kennedy. “People are going to work across the state on these projects.”
The 2008 BEST legislation was inspired by statewide tours conducted by Great Education Colorado and Children's Voices in 2007. Among the districts that received initial approval for projects is Holly, Colorado. With the BEST grant (and a local match), Holly will be able to finally replace the elementary school building that former Governor Roy Romer attended — a building that has been strapped together with the metal equivalent of a rubber band for years. Two years ago, Great Ed visited the Holly district, and then traveled across the border to Kansas, for a comparison.
Sadly, even the good news from BEST is burdened with a shadow: if Amendment 61 passes this November, the BEST program will end:
Voters statewide also may have an influence on the BEST projects, which are funded by lease-purchase agreements called certificates of participation, or COPs in government lingo. Amendment 61 on the November ballot would ban use of COPs.“All bets are off if Amendment 61 passes,” said Dave Van Sant, a retired superintendent who serves on the [School Capital Construction Assistance] Board.
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