The Dolores School District RE-4A has received a BEST grant to build a new high school and renovate a middle school. The district applied for the BEST grant in 2023, but was not chosen to receive the grant.
The district reapplied for the grant in early 2024, but again was not awarded the grant. The board, however, said the district was third in line for the grant, and there was a chance it would get the grant before the end of 2024.
The district will now be able to move forward with plans that have been years in the making.
“It took years and many hands to make this happen for Dolores – architects, the board, several building committees, previous superintendents and the voters who passed the bond,” Dolores Superintendent Alessa Reed said in her December newsletter. “So many people brought us to this point. It indeed has been a village supporting our students.”
Voters also approved the passage of a bond in November 2023, which will come into effect now that the district has been awarded the grant.
The $11.2 million bond will be paired with the BEST grant’s $18 million to build the new high school and make renovations and updates to other areas of the campus.
The district shared other exciting updates for the district in their newsletter, including new strategies, programs and initiatives that will be part of the latter half the 2024-25 school year.
The drama troupe was set to perform Moby Dick on Dec. 5-6, but it has been moved to Jan. 10-11 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both days.
“All of our teams and groups have been working hard this fall, and I would like to recommend supporting and enjoying what they have done,” said Dolores High School Principal Matt Walker.
High school FFA student Morgan Chaffee qualified for the state competition at the district speaking event, and four students were selected as finalists in the Voice of Democracy contest.
The finalists at Dolores are Elieri Brown, Piper Green, Tyrus Phelps and Easton Gofforth.
The Dolores school board rescheduled their meeting to 9 a.m. the week before their scheduled meeting time in order to hold a brief board meeting before the holidays.
In the abbreviated meeting, the board discussed the 2023-24 audit and approved the official name for the building committee. The board then approved the hiring of two new individuals, including an assistant Knowledge Bowl coach.
The board noted that the Knowledge Bowl has seen much success since its start at Dolores High School.
The next Dolores school board meeting is Jan. 13 at 6 p.m.
