Rocky Ford (Colo.) school district receives $40 million state grant for construction

Multiple facility updates are ready to move forward in the Rocky Ford (Colo.) school district thanks to a Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant of nearly $40 million from the state.

The school district's website says Rocky Ford plans to build a K-8 addition and renovate the Rocky Ford junior/senior high school.

The state grant amounts to the $39,867,054.16, and the required match from the school district is $7,628,804, reports the La Junta Tribune-Democrat.

According to the Colorado School Finance Project, The BEST Grant Program is a competitive grant program available to all public school districts, charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative educational services and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. The program focuses on helping public schools with capital construction needs. 

The new classroom space will enable Rocky Ford to tear down Washington Primary School, Jefferson Intermediate School and the surrounding buildings. Officials hope that will ease the community problems that result from vacant buildings.

The vacant land will be seeded to create a large grass field available for a variety of uses for the school district and the community.