There was a recent article in the Cañon City Daily Record with the headline, "District Plans to Buy Former Ark Building."
While the article itself was fairly accurate, the headline is very misleading. Allow me to clarify the district's position. There are no current plans to purchase the former Ark building. Purchasing the building cannot happen until the following steps occur:
The district has to raise the funds necessary to purchase the building. The current MLS lists the cost of the building at $750,000. That price is higher than we believe the value of the building to be and we would not want to use that large of an amount from our reserves.
Therefore, I am actively seeking funding support for the purchase of the building. As you are aware, Fremont County Commissioners have committed to a portion of the cost of the building. We are very appreciative of their commitment.
The district would have to negotiate with the current owner and its Board of Directors for the purchase of the building. A negotiation to buy the building is not currently in progress.
The Board of Education would have to vote on the acquisition of the property. While the Board has had discussions about purchasing the property, there has been no formal action taken to date.
The closure of the Ark has left an unquestionable void in our community that significantly impacts our families, we believe it also presents a wonderful opportunity for a lasting impact on the educational growth of our children. Research from the Colorado Preschool Program clearly articulates the impact:
-- Previous analysis has demonstrated lower rates of retention in the early elementary grades (K-3) for students who participated in CPP compared to students who did not receive CPP programming.
-- Students who participated in CPP are more likely to graduate on time than children who did not participate in CPP.
The bottom line is that quality early learning education makes a difference in communities! Our school district would be a great provider of this service.
The district cannot use funds delegated from the 2023 Ballot initiative to buy the Ark, another misnomer within the community. Purchasing the Ark was not a component of the ballot question that voters approved, therefore we cannot direct bond funds toward such a purchase.
What is happening, right now to support childcare needs:
-- The district obtained emergency licensing to open 2 infant/toddlers rooms located within Penrose Elementary. We are working toward the permanent licensing of these rooms. This gives us the opportunity, beginning Aug. 1, 2023, to support a smaller subset of need within the community with infant and toddler childcare.
Here's what you can expect:
-- The district infant and toddler rooms, located at PES, must operate at capacity to be financially feasible.
-- The district will open all slots to staff for the first option at placement. Staff can expect guidance from Misty Hinkle shortly after this article and begin to secure their slot.
Any slots not filled by RE-2 staff will be opened to the public for placement. Again, watch for notice from Misty Hinkle for the announcement. Misty Hinkle can be reached via email at mhinkle@re-2.org.
If the district can raise the funds to purchase the building, we can operate a viable quality Early Learning Center for the Eastern Fremont community.
The RE-2 Early Learning Center would service around 100 children infant, toddler, and preschool-aged with before and after school programming.
It would be a wonderful addition to the district and of great benefit to our community.
Brenda Krage is the superintendent of the Florence-Penrose School District.
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