YOUR AD HERE »

Letter to the editor: Get involved in the process to build a new school

Marcia Martin and Geoff Petis

Over the next two weeks, the Steamboat Springs School District will meet with business leaders, conduct focus groups with registered voters and hold five community forums to receive feedback and input into its efforts to build for the future. Specifically, in the near future, the Board of Education will make several key decisions, including:

  • What type of facility to build: a pre-K to eighth-grade school, fifth- to eight-grade middle school, or pre-K to fourth-grade elementary school
  • Where that facility will be located
  • How much funding will be earmarked for priority projects at all district schools
  • The total funding the district will need from the community to finance these projects

The time to get involved is now. We were two of the 32 people who participated in the district’s advisory committee. For 13 months, we worked with our fellow committee members to make recommendations, reflecting what we collectively believe will best serve our community. Now, it’s time for you to weigh in, and you don’t have to wait until you cast a ballot in November.

In fact, by engaging now, you have the opportunity to shape what will go on the November ballot. When attending one of the forums in the next two weeks, you will hear new information, including fresh demographic projections, the results of a scientific voter poll, the costs related to new facility options and priority projects for each school. All of this information will also be available at buildingforthefuture.ssk12.org.



In education — as in many other things — Steamboat rises to the top. We have the third-highest-performing school district in Colorado (out of 178 school districts serving nearly 1 million students). We have achieved these accolades with the support of our community.

Our community’s impact on the success of our schools so far is indisputable; so, too, is our potential for impact in the future. But in order to impact the future, we need to decide together what our educational landscape will look like and what investments we are willing to make to ensure the best outcomes for the children in our community.



Please mark your calendar to attend one of these community forums:

  • 6 p.m. Monday, April 29, at Soda Creek Elementary School
  • 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 2, at Bud Werner Memorial Library (parents, grandparents, volunteers)
  • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at Anchor Way Church (Steamboat II neighbors)
  • 8:30 a.m. Monday, May 6, at Bud Werner Memorial Library
  • 9 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at Soda Creek Elementary School

Please come to a forum and be involved.

Marcia Martin and Geoff Petis
Steamboat Springs School District Advisory Committee members


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.