Today
A connected downtown campus
- Schools, library, parks, fields and civic spaces near one another
- Community resources woven into the school day
- Families can coordinate children and activities within one connected area
A vote for connection, care and community
Keep Pagosa’s schools
at the heart of Pagosa.
Our schools need investment. This bond would move PK–8 students away from the connected downtown campus our community has spent generations building. There is a better path.
Follow the river. Follow the story.
A no vote is not a vote to do nothing
Our schools need investment.
Voting NO asks for a plan that renews our facilities without separating children from the connected downtown campus and the public resources our community has already built.
Colorado’s BEST program can support renovations and additions as well as replacement schools. We can invest in students and protect what already works.
This is bigger than a building
A school is shaped by everything a child can reach.
In Pagosa, learning already flows beyond classroom walls: to the library, the river, parks, trails, fields, civic spaces and neighboring schools. These places are not extras. Together, they form a living campus where children grow into a community.
See what changes
One vote. Two very different daily realities.
Under the district’s plan
PK–8 separated from downtown
- The high school and many athletic and community resources remain downtown
- Trips back require buses, drivers, fuel and scheduling
- Families with children in different grades manage separate destinations
Already
here.
Pagosa has already built the campus
One connected community campus. Built over decades.
Downtown holds a rare network of schools, public spaces and natural places linked by paths and shared purpose. It is the product of grants, public investment, volunteer energy and imagination.
A child’s day, connected
Learning does not stop at the school door.
Downtown makes an entire day of learning and belonging possible on foot, along pathways and through relationships.
Early learning
Seeds of Learning and Head Start begin the journey close to the schools and community.
Elementary school
Young learners grow within a familiar, connected neighborhood.
Library
Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library offers expanded youth, teen and after-school spaces.
River, parks & trails
Middle school PE, fly fishing, biking and exploration become part of education.
High school
Older and younger students can share mentorship, courses, activities and a sense of continuity.
A new investment in children
We built a library children can grow into.
Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library has grown from approximately 7,300 to 11,000 square feet, with a children’s discovery room, teen hub, collaboration lab, study spaces, gardens and community room. Its free tutoring, clubs and youth programs are part of the learning environment our community has already built.
Homework and tutoring
Free individual and small-group help builds skills in core subjects.
A place for teens
A dedicated teen hub, clubs, volunteering and after-school activities create room to connect.
Learning beyond class
A collaboration lab, children’s room and gardens invite hands-on discovery.
“Libraries, like schools, symbolize hope.”
At the Dec. 2, 2025 school-board work session, Brattin spoke as an individual—not on behalf of the library board—about her experience at the library and its connection to local schools.
Watch the official district meeting ↗Why would we move children away from an investment the community built for them?
Imagine the school day we would choose
What if the extraordinary place we want for our children is already here?
If you could dream up the most remarkable place for your children to learn and grow, would it be a school set apart from everything—or a school connected to an entire living community?
In downtown Pagosa, children can be near schools, the expanded library, parks, athletic fields, the senior and community center, geothermal grow domes, trails and the San Juan River. They can learn from nature, encounter different generations and experience their town as part of their education.
The river is Pagosa’s jewel. It can be more than scenery or an occasional field trip. Access to natural spaces supports children’s physical activity and mental well-being, and here it can be part of the landscape of childhood. Source ↗
Generations of people wrote grants, built parks and trails, improved accessibility and connected the Riverwalk. They created the kind of childhood many families move to Pagosa to give their children.
We do not have to imagine it. We have already built it.
A bus ride is not the same as access
Connection should be part of the day—not another trip to schedule.
A library, park or river that children can reach naturally is woven into their day. When access requires a bus, every visit requires scheduling, drivers, fuel, maintenance and more time in transit. District staff have discussed a downtown shuttle for after-school access, turning proximity into a recurring transportation responsibility.
The question is not only where we can build a school. It is what kind of childhood we want to build around it.
What a yes vote costs
The real cost is taxes, travel and time.
The ballot shows the bond authorization. Harder to see is the continuing household impact of separating PK–8 from the high school, many athletic fields and community resources that remain downtown.
For many families, especially those with children in different grades or activities, one connected area becomes multiple destinations. That means more driving, more coordination and recurring costs every school year.
Taxes
A higher property-tax obligation
The bond authorizes new debt and an annual tax increase to repay it.
Travel
More destinations to manage
Additional trips bring fuel costs, mileage and vehicle wear that do not appear on the ballot.
Time
Hours families cannot get back
More driving and coordination take time from work, meals, homework, rest and being together.
The financial authorization appears on the ballot. The continuing household cost of distance does not.
130students
They are our students, too
They are not visitors. They belong to this school community.
Colorado’s Department of Education says approximately 130 district students live across the New Mexico state line and choose Archuleta schools. They learn here, build friendships here and are part of the life of our schools. Source ↗
Because their families live in New Mexico, they do not vote on this Colorado bond measure. That does not make their children’s time, travel or well-being matter less. For families already making a long rural journey, moving PK–8 farther west would add distance to an already demanding school day.
A community does not stop caring where the voter rolls end.
Connected and resilient
Safety is also about access, options and nearby public infrastructure.
Today’s downtown schools are distributed across separate campuses with multiple approaches and connections to town services. Downtown also includes the Pagosa Springs Police Department, an additional PSMC EMS station being developed at 302 San Juan Street and the Ross Aragon Community Center, which has served as an emergency shelter.
Multiple approaches
Separate campuses and varied access routes create options for everyday circulation and emergency response.
Downtown EMS station
PSMC is developing an additional downtown station to support expanded 24/7 emergency-response coverage.
Community in reach
Visibility, familiar routes and shared public spaces keep students connected to the people and places around them.
Know what the vote authorizes
A long-term decision deserves a clear view of the numbers.
The ballot asks voters to authorize debt for a new PK–8 campus and other improvements. The proposed Vista Boulevard site is part of the district’s stated plan, but the site itself is not named in the ballot language.
Ballot maximums are authorization limits, not a forecast of final financing terms.
A proven Colorado path
Other communities have modernized schools in place.
Colorado’s BEST program supports renovations and additions as well as replacement facilities. Archuleta’s 2026–27 application sought approximately $50 million toward a new PK–8 school and was placed first alternate for funding. A future application could pursue a different approach.
Cañon City Middle School
A BEST-funded project renovated 44,300 square feet and added 26,078 square feet while retaining elements of the historic school. RTA Architects, the firm involved in Archuleta’s facilities planning, designed the project.
Glenwood Springs Elementary
The historic elementary school received a major renovation, including approximately 28,000 square feet of its original building, rather than leaving its established location behind.
Renovation remains eligible
A new school is not the only path to state assistance. BEST funding can support renovations, additions and building-system improvements.
A call to keep imagining together“The biggest risk is in the limitation of our collaboration.”
A better future is already taking shape
Invest in schools. Strengthen the community campus.
Voting no is not a vote against students, teachers or investment. It is a vote to keep education connected to the extraordinary public resources Pagosa has already built.
BEST grants can support renovation as well as new construction. A thoughtful downtown path can renew school facilities while preserving walkability, shared programs, existing infrastructure and the character that makes Pagosa home.
Our only limit is what we are willing to imagine and build together.
Strong schools. Stronger community.
Vote KNOW.
Vote NO on 5A.
Keep Pagosa’s schools downtown, where learning, nature and community already meet.
Election Day: November 3, 2026
Source notes
Follow the facts.
External links open in a new tab, keeping this page open. Close the new tab to return to Connected Community Campus.
Ballot, site and financial figures
- Archuleta County official 2026 General Election sample ballot, including School District Ballot Issue 5A.
- Citizens for ASD, statements regarding the Vista Boulevard plan, transportation and concept status.
Connected campus and recreation
- Town of Pagosa Springs Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis, letter to the Archuleta School Board, Nov. 21, 2025, including 2023–2025 participation data.
- Town of Pagosa Springs Parks & Recreation.
- Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library building campaign and expansion overview.
- Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library news, youth tutoring and Barbara Brattin’s “Schools and Libraries Are About Hope,” March 5, 2026.
- Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library tween and teen programs.
- Archuleta School District, Board of Education Work Session, Dec. 2, 2025.
- The Pagosa Springs SUN, “Community members voice opinions on proposed new school sites,” Dec. 3, 2025.
- Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership, education and community programs.
- Great Outdoors Colorado, Riverwalk pedestrian bridge and accessibility improvements.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, “The Built Environment and Pediatric Health,” 2024.
- The Pagosa Springs SUN, “We have built a community center”.
Students, safety and public infrastructure
Decision record and funding options
- The Pagosa Springs SUN, “School board chooses Vista site for new PK–8 campus,” Jan. 29, 2026.
- Colorado Department of Education, BEST grant program.
- Archuleta School District, 2026 bond and BEST grant status.
- RTA Architects, Cañon City Middle School renovation and addition.
- NV5, Glenwood Springs Elementary School renovation.
Prepared by Pagosa Citizens for Responsible Schools. This site advocates a NO vote on 5A.