DEL NORTE — Former State Sen. Gail Schwartz will join interested Del Norte School District residents on Tuesday, September 26 from 2-3 p.m. at the Ruth Marie Community Center in Del Norte, at 581 Columbia.

For the first six of the eight years she served in the Colorado State Senate (from 2006-2014), Senator Schwartz represented the San Luis Valley. She co-sponsored the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Act of 2008. As of 2016, BEST has provided more than $1.25 billion in state and local funds toward building and renovating more than 350 schools in more than 120 districts, including 14 schools in the San Luis Valley. This was accomplished over five years during the economic downturn, while increasing employment in our areas, using mostly local labor. 

The Del Norte School District has the opportunity to receive a BEST grant of just over $27 million in state funds to build an entirely new K -12 school. This must be matched by an $18 million bond that will be on the Nov. 7 ballot for approval. The school district will use the bond proceeds in conjunction with the BEST grant to build a new safe, secure, energy efficient, and technologically advanced K-12 school building, including new athletic facilities.

Please join in this discussion with Senator Schwartz – to learn more and to get questions answered about this important opportunity.

For more information about this event, contact Rio de la Vista, 719-850-2255, [email protected]. For more information about the bond issue, please contact the bond committee in care of Mike Hurst, at 719- 850-3382 or [email protected].