With a successful BEST Grant, the Kiowa community will pay less than 20% of the total project costs. Our tax calculator will be available in September, 2024 after Elbert County releases final tax assessments for the year.

The following are best estimates, based on current assessed values. Find your assessed value here: https://services.elbertcounty-co.gov/assessor/web/

Per $100k Residential: $8.32/mo. | $99.84/year
Per $100k Commercial: $34.66/mo. | $415.92/year
Per 160 Acres Dry-land: $6.58/mo. | $79.05/year
Per 160 Acres Sprinkler: $16.66/mo. | $199.93/year
Per 160 Acres Pasture: $1.62/mo. |$19.49/year
Per 640 Acres Pasture: $6.40/mo. | $76.80/year

Kiowa Schools’ enrollment has grown by 32.05% since the 2018-2019 school year, and show no signs of slowing, with an estimated yearly growth of 5% or more.

*Kiowa Schools 2023-2024 official PK-12 pupil count = 342.
Source: https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrent

The FEMA designation was made in 2011. The average age of the Kiowa School buildings is 51 years old – well before it was a known flood zone.

Learn more about the FEMA designation here: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search?AddressQuery=kiowa%2C%20co

With funding from The Colorado State Land Board, Colorado Lottery, marijuana excise tax, and local matching dollars, BEST continues to improve Colorado’s educational environments through capital construction projects…

Source:https://www.cde.state.co.us/capitalconstruction/best

The BEST Grant program was created to help small, rural school districts pay for much-needed repairs and new builds that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. On May 15, 2024, Kiowa was awarded 55.5 MILLION DOLLARS, which is 80% of the estimated cost to build a new school campus. Local taxpayers must fund the remaining 20% (estimated to be $13.5M.) There is no catch: this money is ready and available, and DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PAID BACK. The only requirement is that the Kiowa community must pass a bond at the local level to pay the remaining 20% of the cost to build. Building a new school will NEVER be cheaper than this, and if Kiowa fails to pass the bond in November of 2024, our 55.5 million dollar award goes to the next school in line.

The hope is that some buildings and areas can be saved: specifically, the gymnasiums and the museum. Due to strict rules with the BEST Grant and FEMA, some buildings will need to be removed. We hope to have more specific information soon!

Every community has a "bond capacity" that is calculated based on a percentage of the total assessed value of the properties within the community. Kiowa’s bond capacity is $13,446,822. Kiowa Schools cannot ask for any community support beyond this amount. The BEST Grant program was created (primarily) for the benefit of rural schools, because with smaller tax bases, it is impossible for communities like ours to build a new school without financial assistance.

Outdoor sports facilities are not included in the new school campus plans at this time. Kiowa’s previous BEST Grant applications were unsuccessful, due in part to the large cost of this project. In 2023, the BEST Board of Directors asked Kiowa to lower the cost of this project, so this was done by eliminating the outdoor sports facilities. Kiowa’s current outdoor sports facilities are in good condition, and will continue to be used. However, the new campus does include two gymnasiums and the district is committed to working with the community to pursue other funding options for outdoor athletic facilities.

The benefits to the Kiowa community as a whole will be tremendous. Some specific examples are:
1. An increase to home values
2. A boost to community morale
3. Beautiful facilities for community-wide use for events, programs, etc

The new building will be approximately 96K sq/ft, and accounts for an annual 8% growth between now and 2027. Our current pupil count (as of 10/2023) is 326, and the capacity for the new building will be 580.

This is NOT a forever tax, and it will have an end date of 25 years. The first payment will be in June 2025. The district will have the option to refinance at a lower interest rate or pay the bond off after 10 years.

The fate of the current school buildings will be a board of education decision based on community input. The museum/historical society will remain untouched.

The budget was determined with the help of multiple contractors who work on new school builds throughout the state, as well as our team of architects.

Contingencies have been built into our budget and account for a yearly increase in prices. The school district will NOT continue to ask voters for money, and the school WILL be built to completion with a successful bond vote in November. The BEST Grants have been funding projects such as this for 15 years, and ALL projects have been funded and completed.

Communication will take place via the school’s outreach channels: the school website, the school’s social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram), the district newsletter, multiple mailers, and the marquee sign in front of the school. Please contact the school with any questions.

Yes.

A traffic study and comprehensive plan with Elbert County will be needed to determine the best course of action.

Based on survey responses, the primary reasons were:
1. Increased taxes
2. The BEST Grant funds were not yet secured
3. Transparency by the school

There is 1500 sq/ft of vocational programming space in our current facility. The new plan calls for 3700 sq/ft of space to be used for vocational programming (suggested learning spaces). The district remains committed to improving career and technical educational programming.

Yes, but this decision involves careful consideration by our board of education.

Only voters who live within the boundaries of the school district.