COLORADO SPRINGS — During a special meeting Wednesday night, the Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education postponed a vote on whether to spend $2.5 million to renovate space for a new STEM school.
The postponed vote comes one day after the district announced the closure of Jenkins Middle School due to a Dec. 19 inspection deeming the building "unsafe."
The Colorado Springs School of Technology (CSST) is approved to open inside leased space at the UCCS Cybersecurity Center on North Nevada Avenue and will offer STEM classes to high school students. Nathan Gorsch, the CSST Executive Director, said the school is discussing a 30-year agreement with UCCS to operate the school in the building without paying any rent.
Instead, CSST is requesting $2.5 million in D11 capital reserve funds to renovate and upgrade the leased space. The D11 Board of Education was expected to vote on the funding Wednesday night, but postponed the agenda item until a later date. The board members did not initially give a reason for the postponement. After the meeting, Board Vice President Jill Haffley said in a statement to News5 that the postponement gave the board more time to process an updated report from CSST and ask questions.
Laura Andujar, a teacher at McAuliffe Elementary School, said she believes the board should use its reserve funds to upgrade existing buildings instead of start new projects.
"Really, any building that we actually own should take precedence over a building we don't own," said Andujar. "It's just not ethical, and it is taxpayer money, that's our money, and they're choosing to take it to renovate a building that the district doesn't own."
According to a document detailing the money transfer request, Superintendent Gaal and the district's Chief Financial Officer approved the transfer on Jan. 10. It's now up to the board on whether or not to approve the funds.
News5 asked the district why it's prioritizing funds for a new school as some teachers are concerned existing schools aren't getting enough attention. School District 11 sent the following statement in response:
"Our district is committed to investing in both our existing schools and new opportunities for families. We have capital reserves to support repairs at Jenkins as well as significant investments like the $100 million renovation at Palmer High School. The Colorado Springs School of Technology reflects the growing demand from parents for innovative educational options. We just held our first information night for CSST, with the second scheduled for January 23rd, and demand is so high that we’ve added a third night on February 5th. We believe it’s our responsibility to meet this demand while continuing to support and improve all of our schools."
Local Colorado Springs School Shut Down Over Unsafe Conditions
The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) notified Colorado Springs School District 11 of structural concerns at Jenkins Middle School just before the holidays in December.
