Archuleta School District
Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant awards for the FY26-27 BEST Grant cycle were announced on May 21.
This year, the BEST Board had just $173 million to allocate and $536 million in requests. They awarded 17 grants–two of which are bond-dependent–and named our project as the first backup project.
Being named 18th out of 57 total applications is promising, especially as a large ($50 million) grant request.
For context, only three total projects larger than $20 million were awarded this year. Unfortunately, even if both bond-dependent projects were to fail to secure the required matching funds, there would not be enough remaining dollars to fully fund our $50 million application request.
However, our ranking indicates a high likelihood that our proposed project would be funded by BEST next year. The board will discuss options on how they want to proceed at the June 3 work session.
Potential options forward include:
- The possibility of pursuing a bond in November 2026 and then reapply for a BEST grant next spring with the matching dollars secured, or
- Wait for next year’s BEST grant awards and, if awarded, then pursue a bond in November 2027.
If the board decides to pursue a bond (this year or next), we will have to reapply for a BEST grant for the required matching funds.
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