CREJ - Building Dialogue - December 2016
It’s difficult to open the pages of Colorado Real Estate Journal or similar publications without seeing an article or two on the ribbon cutting at a new elementary, middle or high school. The growing population in Colorado – a number that grew by nearly half a million between 2010 and 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau – brings many families to the state, and communities are struggling to keep pace with the influx of new students this boom carries with it. While many newcomers are settling in urban settings, many are putting down roots away from big cities. What’s causing the return to life outside city limits? According to Jeff Chamberlin, an owner’s representative with RLH Engineering, location-neutral job options are playing a big role. “When you have access to technology, you can work from anywhere,” he said, “and more families are making the choice to move back to small towns.” However, with that move comes the expectation that their kids will still receive their education at a top-notch facility. Gone are the days of the one-room schoolhouse. Today’s rural schools need to be competitive to lure new families – and the economic boon that accompanies the growth – to the area. When kids graduate high school, they need to be workforce and college ready. The rural schools being built and remodeled today are very different than their predecessors. Simply put, some districts in Colorado just don’t have the bonding capacity to make the changes necessary from a safety and well-being standpoint. In place since 2008, the BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) program has been instrumental in providing a resource for these schools and enabling them to make much-needed improvements or build replacement facilities. “Many of the districts that have been awarded BEST grants have historically had difficulty meeting capital requirements; these grants help the schools receive capital for much-needed improvements, but they also help motivate the constituents to vote for the bond measures that are often needed to meet the program’s matching fund requirements,” stated Jered Minter, principal and PK-12 specialist at Bennett Wagner Grody Architects. “Everyone deserves schools that support the current and future needs of their community. The BEST program helps offset the cost.” The updated facilities have, in turn, had a positive effect on the communities they serve. The town of Salida built a high school in 2012 and an elementary school in 2014. Both were funded in part by BEST grants. Since finishing the new schools, enrollment has increased and they have ranked No. 1 in showing significant statistical improvement in the areas of writing and math. Beyond the education they provide, they inspire a sense of community and pride in the people who live in the town. These buildings are more than just schools. They are the centers of their communities. For example, in Salida, they held a funeral for a local Iraq war veteran in the school gym because it was the only place big enough to house 1,200 people. The new Fort Morgan Middle School that opened earlier this year isn’t just a school; it’s an event center, a concert hall, a sports arena – a place of community pride. These facilities don’t just fill the educational mission, but also the community objectives. They serve as churches, recreation centers and wellness centers. They create partnerships throughout the towns. “We’ve been building in rural communities since the early 1990s, and the schools we’re seeing now are just incredible,” acknowledged Al Slattery, education business development manager at Haselden Construction. “One of the things we look forward to most is sharing the new building and renovation projects with the people that get to enjoy them, and celebrating the milestones like the ground breakings, topping off celebrations and ribbon-cutting ceremonies with them.” This change in attitude toward rural schools provides more opportunity for students, and all signs point to this trend continuing. Minter notes that the next step is sustaining the movement toward a more tailored, adaptable education. There are at least 20 different modalities of learning, and teachers and teaching pedagogies need to be adaptive to individual learning styles and different types of students. Schools should accommodate the full range of a child’s mental and physical needs, while supporting STEM-specific applications, collaborative learning methods, or any of the other 21st century trends in education. “It’s important for the buildings to reflect the needs and present-day aspirations of the community rather than the teaching methods of the past,” Slattery noted. “So much has changed in education that directly affects school design. The old way doesn’t work as well as the new modes of teaching. You want new and renovated facilities to reflect the current values and needs of the community, while remaining flexible for future innovations and inevitable change.” \\ JulieLougee@haselden.com