Greeley-Evans School District 6 has received approval from the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee to complete additional building projects with proceeds from the bond sales in 2020.
Three additional projects will be added to the list of construction currently underway or planned in District 6 after voters approved a $395 million bond issue in November of 2019. The construction projects added to the bond projects include:
- The construction and renovation of the former Colorado Department of Transportation Building at the intersection of 14th Avenue and 2nd Street. Jefferson High School will move to this new building once it is completed.
- Additional classrooms at Meeker Elementary School to remove portable classrooms.
- Additional classrooms at Billie Martinez Elementary School to remove portable classrooms.
These projects are being paid for with a portion of the $64 million in bond premium that was realized after District 6 sold $250 million in bonds after the election. A bond premium occurs when the investor is willing to pay more than the maturity value of the bond in exchange for securing a long-term fixed interest rate. That means District 6 can complete additional building projects at no additional cost to taxpayers.
Prior to the bond initiative, District 6 purchased the CDOT property in August of 2019 for future expansion. It is located adjacent to property the district already owns at the Billie Martinez Elementary School site. The District is currently interviewing architects to design the new Jefferson High School, including an expanded Construction Trades Career Pathway Program on the site. The project is estimated to cost $30 million, including soft costs such as furniture and equipment.
The current Jefferson High School will undergo minor renovations that were planned in the 2019 bond issue and the school will eventually be the new home of the Fred Tjardes School of Innovation, which is currently located in downtown Greeley at the intersection of 8th Avenue and 5th Street. That school is now located in a rented building, and the lease expires in June of 2022.
The additional classrooms at Martinez and Meeker elementary schools were approved upon the recommendation of a demographer who conducted a boundary study for District 6. The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee agreed the additions will help further reduce the number of portable classrooms in District 6, an important goal of the 2019 bond issue. Right now, the district is on track to eliminate nearly 50 percent of the portable classrooms in the district by the time the bond projects are completed. The combined Martinez and Meeker projects are estimated to cost about $18 million.
The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee is composed of 16 Greeley and Evans community members and meets every quarter to review bond projects and consider additional projects to be paid for by bond premium. The committee also holds special meetings as needed, and recently toured some of the current bond projects under construction.
Other bond projects currently underway or planned include the construction of a new Greeley West High School, construction of a new Madison Elementary School and conversion to a Preschool-8 school, construction of the new Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering, large renovations to McAuliffe STEM Academy and Chappelow Arts Magnet, construction of safe entry ways at all district schools, career and college preparation learning spaces at all schools, asbestos removal at select schools, and other repairs and renovations at identified schools. Additional renovations are also being completed at District 6 charter schools.
For more information about the 2019 bond projects, visit www.greeleyschools.org/bond.
Time to complete the 2021-2022 Registration Checklist
Families with children who will be attending non-charter schools in Greeley-Evans School District 6 can now complete the online 2021-2022 Fall Registration Checklist at www.greeleyschools.org/FallRegistration.
Parents and guardians are urged to complete this online registration checklist before the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. The checklist includes an annual data update for each student, application for meal benefits, a review of the new parent-student handbook, athletics and activities registration and a link to registration events at individual schools.
The website also includes information about start dates for students at various grade levels.
Families who have not yet registered their students for the 2021-2022 school year can complete the registration online at www.greeleyschools.org/Admissions. Registration questions can be directed to the District 6 Admissions Office at [email protected] or by calling (970) 348-6062 between the hours of 9am and 3:30pm.
