Photo: Archuleta School District Superintendent Rick Holt addresses the Master Plan Advisory Committee and School Board on November 17, 2025.
As noted in Part Two, the Archuleta School District (ASD) School Board met last week with the Pagosa Peak Open School (PPOS) School Board, to discuss ASD plans to abandon the existing Pagosa Springs Elementary School and Pagosa Springs Middle School, and built a completely new PreK-8 school somewhere in the community. The cost of the new school has been estimated at around $125 million, which would make it the most expensive public project ever built in Pagosa Springs.
The Pagosa Springs High School was built in 1997 for about $12 million. Apparently, schools cost more, nowadays.
Last night, consultants from SGM Engineering gave a presentation comparing potential site development costs for two possible sites for the school:
1. On the the Pagosa Springs High School campus, or
2. On vacant ASD-owned land near the Vista mobile home neighborhood, uptown
If the proposed new school were funded through a property tax increase, the total cost would be closer to $220 million when the interest payments are included. Given that we have about 6,100 households in Archuleta County (Colorado Demography Office estimate) that comes to about $36,000 per household.
We will consider some information, and thoughts, about the presentation shortly.
The joint discussion between the ASD Board and the PPOS Board last week had nothing to do with where the new school might be built, but rather, centered on possible facility needs at PPOS, and whether those needs might be bundled with the new school project, if and when ASD goes to the voters for a property tax increase.
As many Daily Post readers know, Pagosa Peak Open School was authorized by ASD in 2017 as a tuition-free, semi-independent “charter school” open to all Archuleta County families.
The Colorado legislature created the state’s charter school law in 1993, based on the idea that educational innovation requires teachers and parents willing to try out new ways of educating, and that such experimentation would ultimately benefit the state’s educational systems.
From the Charter School Act:
…In authorizing charter schools, it is the intent of the general assembly to create a legitimate avenue for parents, teachers, and community members to implement new and innovative methods of educating children that are proven to be effective and to take responsible risks and create new and innovative, research-based ways of educating all children within the public education system…
In 2016, a group of Pagosa parents and grandparents wrote a 400-page plan for a charter school to be housed in the former ‘Parelli Natural Horsemanship’ office building near Walmart, and the ASD Board approved the plan in 2017. Since opening its doors, PPOS has spent well over $2 million on building upgrades and security improvements — and a brand new playground — with much of the money coming from grants.
But the school operates in an office building. Yes, it’s a rather large and well-designed office building, but… it could still benefit from additional upgrades.
Disclosure: I currently serve as a volunteer member of the Pagosa Peak Open School school board, but this editorial reflects only my own opinions and not necessarily the opinions of the PPOS board or staff.
During the joint meeting between the ASD Board and the PPOS Board, the ASD Board and staff made it clear that they intend to address the needs of PPOS — if possible — when they ask the taxpayers for a property tax increase.
What might PPOS need, to best serve its K-8 students?
1. PPOS needs to re-pave its failing 20-year-old asphalt parking lot. $200,000?
2. PPOS has a 20-year-old elevator that may soon need replacement. $50,000?
3. PPOS does not have an athletic field for sports activities. Some vacant lots are located nearby, and could conceivably be used also by families living in and around the Aspen Village subdivision. $400,000?
4. PPOS does not have a gymnasium/auditorium for Physical Education and cultural events. $3 million?
All of the other ASD schools have access to sports fields and gymnasiums, and presumably the new $220 million school planned by ASD will have sports fields and gymnasiums. The taxpayers might very well want PPOS to have the same amenities.
At last week’s meeting, the ASD Board seemed willing to consider PPOS’ as-yet-undefined capital needs as part of a future bond measure. The PPOS Board has been tasked with developing a more definitive list over the next month or so, with researched prices attached.
As mentioned, the proposed new PreK-8 school that ASD is considering already has a researched price attached. $125 million. Or $220 million if you count the interest payments.
I believe that’s a rough price, and it might include athletic fields and gymnasiums and parking lots, but I’m not sure.
One of the pricing factors is, of course, where the school is located, as we learned during the Master Plan Advisory Committee (MPAC) meeting last night.
1. There’s about 8 acres of suitable vacant land near the High School, and traffic circulation does not seem to be a big issue, if the new school where located there. The parking lot for the school would, however, displace one or two of the existing baseball fields on the High School campus. And there are other issues to consider.
2. There’s about 16 acres of suitable vacant land on the 37-acre Vista property, but it’s likely that the Highway 160 – Vista Boulevard intersection would need to be improved with A&D lanes and possibly even a stoplight. And there are other issues to consider.
At the conclusion of last night’s meeting, ASD Superintendent Rick Holt noted that the School Board will be charged with making the final decision about which of these two sites is best for our teachers, students, parents, and community.
He suggested that part of the decision involves looking at the data and projected costs.
The other part of the decision involves emotional attachments and desires.
Tomorrow, we can look more closely at the data and the desires that drove the MPAC group to vote on their preferred choice.