This evening, the Re-1 school board will decide whether to certify a ballot question for the Nov. 1 election authorizing Southwest Open School to pursue a $3.1 million bond.
SWOS has already been awarded a $7.4 million state BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) grant that would pay for 70 percent of the cost of replacing most of the schools buildings on its campus near the U.S. 160/Colorado 145 intersection in the east part of Cortez.
SWOS has no taxing authority of its own; that power lies with Re-1, which controls the fate of the bond and the BEST grant. Re-1s application for a $39.2 million BEST grant was turned down, but one more funding cycle remains.
A successful bond question for SWOS could signal to the Colorado Department of Education that district voters support education in general as well as the infrastructure improvements that Re-1 has proposed for its elementary schools and high school. On the other hand, a wide-margin loss would convey exactly the opposite, and such a loss is a definite possibility in the current economic climate, regardless of the merits of any proposed project. Its fair to speculate that one factor in the BEST decision was doubt over Re-1s ability to raise its share of the cost of the proposed projects.
A decision to support SWOS request to the voters would reinforce the boards emphasis on safe, well-designed learning spaces. The board is aware, though, that if voters are willing to approve any money at all, their willingness has an upper limit and a SWOS bond would take a piece of however much is available.
The choice belongs to the voters and taxpayers of the school district. SWOS facilities are indeed minimal, and the possibility of improving any buildings in the district is worth a shot, but its a long shot with potentially negative consequences.
