Photo: A lighter moment at the January 21 Archuleta School Board meeting.
By Kelsy Been
On Wednesday January 21, the Archuleta School District Board of Education voted to select the uptown site as the location for the district’s proposed new PK-8 school.
The 37-acre uptown site, adjacent to Vista Blvd. and Park Ave., offers an expansive campus with multiple access points, ample open space, and opportunities for future walking and biking connections. In selecting this location, the Board cited several factors, the site’s scalability and flexibility for future expansion, and the ability to provide additional field space, including dedicated middle school fields and a track. Board members also noted that the site preserves long-term options for potential expansion at the high school.
In terms of construction, the Board prefers this site due to its overall cost and fiscal responsibility, a more predictable construction timeline, and less disruption to students during construction.
“The Board carefully considered community feedback, site characteristics, long-term costs, and how each location would support student learning now and into the future,” said Superintendent Rick Holt. “With this decision, we can build a school with the kind of setting and feel that students in a rural community should have, with lots of open space and green fields.”
Planning Process & Community Engagement
The District has been exploring these two potential sites for a new PK-8 school since the summer of 2025. At either location, the project was envisioned as a 140,000 square foot PreK–8 school with a two-story academic wing and capacity for approximately 1,200 students, including a separate PreK–K area and a dedicated drop-off zone.
To support the site selection process, the District engaged engineering and traffic consultants to complete detailed site, infrastructure, and transportation assessments. The Board hosted two listening sessions in early December to gather feedback on the proposed school sites. At its January 7 regular meeting, the Board reviewed both site options, discussed key advantages and challenges, and evaluated the financial information.
“We knew that no matter the outcome, not everyone in the community would agree with the Board’s decision. We should all celebrate the level of community conversation and engagement throughout this process. It’s been encouraging to see so many people participate thoughtfully,” said Holt. “The survey showed that families across our community recognize the urgent need for safer, more modern schools, and this decision helps us move forward toward that shared goal.”
Next Steps
Archuleta School District will apply for a Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant in March 2026. If awarded, the grant would require a local match, typically around 50% of the total project cost. While school districts receive annual funding from the Colorado Department of Education to support general operating expenses such as staffing, classroom resources, transportation, and day-to-day maintenance, major facility construction and renovation projects require separate funding sources.
Local match funding is typically generated through a voter-approved bond, a one-time property tax–based investment dedicated to capital improvements. ASD currently has no existing bond debt; the District’s last bond supported construction of the high school in 1996 and was fully paid off in December 2020.
This decision follows more than a year of community discussion, technical analysis, and public input on the district’s long-term facilities needs. Community engagement around facilities planning began in October 2024, and in January 2025 the district convened the Master Planning Advisory Committee (MPAC) with parents, community members, and district representatives to help guide the development of the Facilities Master Plan.
In May 2025, the committee reached a clear conclusion and recommended that the Board of Education pursue construction of a new PK–8 school as the District’s top facilities priority. Over the summer, the Board conducted additional analysis and commissioned a voter survey to better understand community perspectives and funding considerations.
Since then, the MPAC has been working through this site selection process.
Kelsy Been handles communications for the Archuleta School District.