The growing Hanover school district in southeast Colorado Springs is hoping to see passage in the November election of a new bond that will help fund facility construction and upgrade projects.
With both an elementary school and high school serving more than 300 students, the district is one of the oldest established in Colorado and has in the last decade seen its enrollment grow by about 100 students.
That growth is reflective of population trends in larger El Paso County, which has seen a 20% jump in the last ten years to its current 730,000 residents.
That growth, in part, has prompted district officials to want to double the size of the current Prairie Heights Elementary School, located at 7930 Indian Village Heights in the city of Fountain.
The construction would provide new space for art, music, media, and music classes that are currently being conducted in portable classrooms.
Voters will be asked to approve a measure allowing the district to take on an additional nearly $14 million in debt, extending a bond originally approved in 2002.
If approved, the bond would fund up to 30% of the elementary school expansion project, with the remaining 70% coming through the state’s innovative Building Excellent Schools Today grant program.
By Garry Boulard
