Pueblo D70 receives multi-million-dollar state grant to address sewage and safety concerns
Sewage discharging into the groundwater at Pueblo County High School could lead to significant fines from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment if not addressed by Pueblo County School District 70.
Needs to address the sewage system and replace roofing at County are among the needs being addressed by a $3.3 million Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant from the Colorado Department of Education and a matching district contribution of $4.1 million.
"These improvements are essential for the safety and well-being of more than 1,400 students and staff, and they will also benefit the broader community that uses the facility as a regional hub," Pueblo D70 officials said in a news release.
Pueblo D70 received an additional $540,000 in BEST grant funds to replace fire alarms in nine schools. The BEST grant for fire alarm replacements must be matched with a district contribution of over $777,000.
"It's important for us to take advantage of these grant funds and come up with these matching funds or this money will return to projects in (Colorado Springs) and Denver... We have to have the funds to be preventative instead of being reactive and in a crisis," Pueblo D70 Superintendent Ronda Rein said during a June 19 press conference.
The district is exploring different ways to pay matching funds, including placing a mill levy override on the November ballot to gather funds for the over $4 million contribution. Monthly, the mill levy override would cost $2.36 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
"It's up to individual districts to override what the state does so we can fund our schools the way we see fit," Rein said. "Wouldn't you prefer that our property taxes and your tax dollars went to funded projects within your community? I think most of the people in our district know better than Denver what's best for Pueblo District 70."
As one of the lowest funded school districts in Colorado, Pueblo D70 spent $11,532 per pupil in the 2022-23 fiscal year compared to the state average of $14,845, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
During the June 19 press conference, Rein told Pueblo D70 and Pueblo County High School staff that unaddressed wastewater and septic issues could result in fines above $61,000 per incident from CDPHE.
The sewage system at County was built to accommodate about 800 students. However, County's current enrollment is around 1,200 students with an additional 200 staff members. The district is able to pump the current system once it fills, but the process has grown increasingly costly to continue.
"We will need to address in the very near future the sewage system at Cedar Ridge Elementary in Pueblo West as well as Prairie Winds Elementary in Pueblo West," Rein said. "It's also our priority to replace our roofs throughout the district on maintenance rotation."
In addition to matching local funds, BEST grant monies for construction projects are funded by the Colorado Lottery, Colorado State Land Board and marijuana excise taxes. In 16 years, the BEST program has awarded about $2.5 billion to over 520 schools, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Here's why Pueblo D70 is getting a $3 million Colorado BEST grant
