Planning for the building of a new middle school in northern Colorado that will house as many as 900 students could begin in earnest next year, depending upon results of a bond election three weeks from now.
Officials with the Weld RE-4 School District, which is based in Windsor, are hoping to see the passage of a $271 million bond package that will be primarily used to not only build a new middle school, but also two new elementary schools.
The growing district, made up of ten schools, serves students in both Windsor and Severance, as well as the west side of the city of Greeley.
All three cities have seen double-digit increases in their populations in the last decade, a trend reflected in the growing enrollment growth of Weld RE-4 School District, which has gone from just over 4,000 students a decade ago, to more than 8,100 in the last academic year.
The bond, which earlier was proposed as a $294 million package, will also fund the construction expansion of the Severance Middle School, located at 1801 Avery Plaza Street, adding 300 new seats; as well as new space adding nearly 500 seats at the Severance High School, located at 1200 Hidden Valley Parkway.
Plans additionally call for the expansion of the Windsor Charter Academy, located at 680
Academy Court.
Safety upgrades and new security infrastructure will also be undertaken district-wide, if the bond passes.
Prospects for the bond’s passage are uncertain: last November voters in the district rejected by a 51% to 49% margin a smaller $179 million bond, also for facility construction and upgrade projects.
By Garry Boulard
