education | SCHOOL BOND
ALEX MCINTYRE Windsor Middle School is seen as sprinklers water the grass in Windsor May 25, 2021.
ALEX MCINTYRE
WELD RE-4 FINALIZING A BOND PACKAGE FOR WINDSOR AND SEVERANCE VOTERS BY ANNE DELANEY
T
he Weld RE-4 School District is planning for a new bond measure to present to district voters later this year with an altered price tag after months of community meetings and feedback. The latest package is a $177 million investment and includes the construction of two new elementary schools in the Peakview and Raindance neighborhood locations, plus the renovation and expansion of both middle schools — in Windsor and in Severance. The district notes on its 2021 bond website the $177 million price tag could be reduced to $168 million if Weld RE-4 is awarded a state-administered grant worth about $9 million this summer. The district is applying for a
6 | mywindsor | JUNE 2021
competitive matching grant known as BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today), which a Colorado Department
“Anticipating c o n t i n u e d residential growth in our communities, the
We l d
RE-4
School District is on a 4-5 year bond investment cycle,” of Education program to address safety hazards, health concerns and security as
well as projects designed to incorporate technology into education. The district expects to learn about BEST grant awards by June. The Weld RE-4 Board of Education will decide in August if it will include a package on the November ballot. In 2020, the district announced it would not proceed with a bond measure as anticipated for voters given the economic circumstances in the community surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the district said it planned to introduce a bond measure for possible inclusion on the November ballot because the need — increasing enrollment and schools at or above capacity — remained in play and unaffected by COVID-19. According to the district website on the bond, the growth in the district is
