EAGLE COUNTY — Eagle County School Officials last month looked at a variety of options for what to do with the old Battle Mountain High School in Eagle-Vail, as well as all schools on the east side of the district in Colorado's Vail Valley. Board members, district staff and people in the community contributed to a list of “pros” and “cons” for each option last month. The board reached no decisions. The discussion continues Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at the district office, 757 E. Third St. in Eagle.

Here's a look at the “pros” and “cons” list:

Option: Leave current configuration of schools as they exist.

POSITIVES — school board member comments

• Every community existing today remains somewhat happy

•Avoids staffing relocation issues

• Small community schools, each town has a

school

• Easier for principals and teachers to connect

with every kid

• It's easy

POSITIVES — community member comments

• Easy

• Lazy way out of a difficult decision

• Less disruption to community

• Board members don't have to make a tough decision

POSITIVES — staff comments

• Get to keep individual programming intact

• Students maintain identity with school

• More parents are happy or more likely to be more happy (neighborhood schools)

• No principals lose jobs

• Parents are happy their kids don't have to join a new school community

• Nobody would cry (no one displaced)

• Least stressful for staff, students and parents

CHALLENGES — board comments



• Major renovations to Minturn Middle School ($10 to12 million)

• Critical renovations to Meadow Mountain Elementary School ($10 to12 million), prior to a 4 to 5 year time frame

• Some renovations to Red Sandstone Elementary School ($5 to 6 million), Americans with Disabilities Act issues

• Somewhat critical time frame (4 to 5 years) for renovations, requiring a bond initiative

• Meadow Mountain Elementary School has limited capacity

• Transportation (where students live to where they attend school)

• Under‐capacity issues and lack of programming

• Old Battle Mountain High School setting empty (maintenance costs)

• Risk of land loss with state land board (18 to 20 months)

• Physical locations of some schools is a concern (Minturn Middle School )

• Meadow Mountain Elementary School currently utilizing cafeteria at Avon Elementary School

• Small school staffing eliminates programmatic options

• Meadow Mountain Elementary School and Red Sandstone Elementary School playgrounds

CHALLENGES — community member comments

• Lack of special course offerings, music, art, counseling

• Running three staff/admins and operating expenses

• Foregoing annual cost savings of $450,000

• Projected population growth in immediate vicinity

• Only (11)? students are from Minturn anyway

CHALLENGES — staff comments

• Not cost effective

• Building each need great deal of repair

• Safety of kids at risk due to building concerns

• Physical, safety and maintenance issues with Meadow Mountain Elementary School and Minturn Middle School

• Fiscal responsibility to tax payers

• Some facilities will need a lot of money to retrofit and bring to current standards

Option: Combine Meadow Mountain Elementary School and Minturn Middle School into a Pre-K though eighth-grade school at Dowd Junction Site (old Battle Mountain high school in Eagle-Vail). Leave Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy at the Minturn Middle School

POSITIVES — board comments

• Room to add housing

• Great nordic training site for students, potential

community use opportunity

• 60 percent capacity at old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site with combining Meadow Mountain Elementary School and Minturn Middle School (allowing for future growth)

• Savings through staff consolidation

• Gain a pre‐school

• Ability to provide additional programming offerings

• Similar branding and instructional strategy (with the EL program)

• Meadow Mountain Elementary School community is expecting this change

• Allows district options with the Minturn Middle School site to assist in funding of remodeling, pursuing other options

POSITIVES — community member comments

• Community has heard about this for years and many

believe it is logical

• Combining ELOB schools – Meadow Mountain Elementary School – Minturn Middle School

• Eagle‐Vail is on board with this option

• Use of local recreation amenities, track, pool, golf

• This is the decision supported by the previous board, the Battle Mountain High School site committee and the ULI study recommendations

• Opportunity to save $250,000 per year – staff

POSITIVES — staff comments

• Expeditionary learning at one site

• Combination allows for fiscal responsibility – closure of a

site!

• Another pre-school!

• Don't have to give up property to forest service

• Similar branding in one place – share resources and cost

CHALLENGES — board comments



• Under‐capacity issues at Minturn Middle School

• Renovations to Minturn Middle School

• Housing kids on school property

• Encumber 104 acres of property for a program of 150 some

kids

• Minturn Middle School community values the land for expeditionary learning program focus

• 60 percent capacity at old Battle Mountain High School /Dowd Junction Site with combining Meadow Mountain Elementary School and Minturn Middle School (creating additional under‐capacity issues)

• Minturn Middle School community is not looking for a change

• Staffing configurations that come with a pre‐K through eighth-grade school (new model for Eagle County School District)

• Red Sandstone Elementary School integrating into a pre‐K through eighth-grade school?

• Cost of renovating the old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site

CHALLENGES — community member comments

• Was stated that Red Sandstone Elementary School would have an issue going into kindergarten through eighth-grade building or ELOB – should not be issue. This currently goes on down valley

• Is the district going to continue support (money) “different

options” for schools

• Just having Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy in Minturn Middle School leaves it under capacity

• Waste $200,000 per year facilities money to keep Minturn Middle School open

CHALLENGES — staff comments

• building repairs

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy at Minturn Middle School not financially responsible

• Additional cost – not savings (retrofit cost) plus cost of

maintaining same number of sites

• No current kindergarten through eighth-grade configurations

• Displaces teachers and administrators

• Leave Minturn Middle School extremely under populated

Option: Combine Meadow Mountain Elementary, Red Sandstone Elementary and Minturn Middle School into a Pre-K-8 school at the Dowd Junction Site (old Battle Mountain high in Eagle-Vail). Move Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy to Red Sandstone Elementary site.

POSITIVES — board member comments

• Asset of 104 acres (at Minturn Middle School)

• Do something with the Meadow Mountain Elementary School site (partner with groups, develop housing, etc.)

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy located closer to Vail

• Combining schools creates better programmatic options

• Biggest consolidation costs savings (operational and

staffing)

POSITIVES — community member comments

• Allow new programming for Minturn Middle School

• Cut from three administrations to one administration

• Increase course offerings

• Demolish Meadow Mountain Elementary School and allow development for future needs

• We don't own land at Red Sandstone Elementary School

• Both elementary feeder schools are experiencing the same transition

• Greater capacity utilization of kindergarten through eighth8 • Could re‐boundary at Avon & June Creek to increase their

capacity utilization • Only 127 of 260 RSES is from Vail anyway

• Get $4mill from MMES Land, Get $8mill from MMS land = $12million

POSITIVES — staff member comments

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy close to slopes

• Closes one school – financially responsible

• Bigger preschool? – possibly

• Our Favorite

• Ski academy at ski hill

• Savings by closing MMS site and MMES

• School mostly organized by ELOB

• District gains money from small school FTE's (6 FTE =

$300,000/yr)

CHALLENGES – board member comments

• empty 104 acres at Minturn Middle School

• An empty Meadow Mountain Elementary School

• Red Sandstone Elementary School would be under‐capacity with only Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy kids

• Vail and Minturn losing their community schools

• New boundaries would have to be developed

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy becomes the one programmatic option in Vail, which isn't a viable option for

everyone

• Combining the three schools puts the enrollment at 642 (the bigger the school is, the more money you have to put into the remodel and upgrade of the facility)

• Variance kids may not fit into re‐configuration

• Red Sandstone Elementary School does not have the expeditionary learning focus that Meadow Mountain Elementary School and Minturn Middle School do

• Cost of renovating the old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site

CHALLENGES — community member comments

• Money reconfigure Red Sandstone Elementary School for Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy

• Is there a possibility that Town of Vail would have problem with lease

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy would not have access to gym at night/weekend with current lease

• Possible loss of voter support for future bonds

• How do program options increase – we still follow staffing guidelines

• Reach capacity quickly

• Ask Town of Vail to deed the land under Red Sandstone Elementary School to Eagle County School District

• Work with Town of Minturn for re‐defining the programming the use of Minturn Middle School

• We could redevelop Minturn Middle School site but we can't redevelop Red Sandstone Elementary School site since we don't own the land

CHALLENGES — staff comments



• Combination of expeditionary learning and traditional is difficult

• Huge school (for this valley) over 600 students

• Construction requirements for Dowd Junction site

• How many principals lose their position

• Cost of retrofit – Would Red Sanstone Elementary School be required to do ELOB?

• Retrofit Red Sanstone Elementary School

• Will capacity be reached for Dowd site?

• How many administrators

• What do you do with preschool from Red Sanstone Elementary School?

• No “regular” school in Vail – parents mad

• Would lose all transfers and variances at Red Sandstone Elementary School from Lake County and variances within district (parents who work in Vail)

• School size – doesn't fall into “small school philosophy”

Option: Combine Meadow Mountain Elementary and Minturn Middle School into a PreK‐8 at the Dowd Junction Site (old Battle Mountain). Leave Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy at the Minturn Middle site and Move New America School to Minturn Middle School.

POSITIVES — board member comments

• Minturn Middle School can feed these kids

• Unique combination of populations

• Multiple options for Minturn Middle School (ie. consolidation of Pre‐K programs, Pooh Corner, which could provide childcare for New America School students)

• Keeps a school in every community

• Continuity of the program is an option for New America School

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy's first choice of remaining at the Minturn Middle School site, potentially incorporating the housing and continuing to work closely with the district

POSITIVES — community member comments

• Dowd Junction Site not at capacity

• Shared resources with New America School & Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy

• Allows Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy to have a conversation about land for housing

• Closer to where students work

• Employee and seasonal housing readily available for Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy in Vail

POSITIVES — staff comments

• No thanks – not a savings

• Gain cost of one site – Meadow Mountain Elementary School

• Same program ELOB K‐8

CHALLENGES — board member comments

• Cost of renovating the old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site

• Capacity is over 80 percent at the Minturn Middle School site with Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and New America School

• Providing transportation opportunities for the New America School population

• New America School students live mostly west of Avon

• Two different programs entirely

• Minturn Middle School renovation

• Impedes on Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy's ability to combine programming with housing

• Potentially not the best option for the New America School population

(ie. further location, balancing work with school)

• Minturn Middle School sentiments of ‘we can't stay in the building, but

two other schools can'

CHALLENGES — community member comments

• Minturn Middle School is not in the area where the student come from

• Access to school for New America School may be challenging

• Minturn has not supported Eagle County School District with land/cash deal to

developers until recently. Now they want Eagle County School District to support their wishes

• Waste money to leave Minturn Middle School Open

CHALLENGES — staff comments

• Transportation for New America School

• Minturn Middle School – sixth grades with 21 year olds in same building

• “ The Woods”

• Retrofit cost of Dowd site (old Battle Mountain high)

Option: Combine Meadow Mountain Elementary and Red Sandstone Elementary (Pre-K-5) at Dowd Junction Site (old Battle Mountain). Move Minturn Middle School to Berry Creek Middle School and move Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy to Red Sandstone Elementary.

POSITIVES — board member comments

• Equal out demographics at Berry Creek Middle School

• 104 acres sitting unused (at Minturn Middle School)

• Meadow Mountain Elementary School site is available

POSITIVES — community comments

• Generate money for development of Minturn Middle School Site – housing and non‐profit organizations

• Expand Berry Creek Middle School costs

POSITIVES — staff comments

• Not optimal

• Gain cost of operating one site



CHALLENGES — board member comments

• Cost of renovating the old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site

• Moving all schools to different physical locations

• Disrupting school programmatic offerings (Expeditionary Learning, Dual Language)

• Berry Creek Middle School housing EL, DL and traditional programming

• Doesn't allow for growth

• Up‐valley only has one middle school

• Meadow Mountain Elementary School and Red Sandstone Elementary School don't have the same programmatic

focus

• 104 acres sitting unused and a building sitting that needs to be maintained (at Minturn middle)

CHALLENGES — community comments

• With development in Avon Village and future Eagle‐ Vail Development. We will be at over capacity quickly

• Expand Berry Creek Middle School for capacity

• Berry Creek Middle School beyond capacity (cap is 525)

CHALLENGES — staff comments

• 2 (3) programs combined

• Capacity in a short amount of time

• Not enough room at Berry Creek Middle School

• Need to put on addition

• Combining ELOB and Dual Language

• No Elementary in Vail (See Option #3 for challenges)

Option: Combine Red Sanstone Elementary, Meadow Mountain Elementary and Minturn Middle School into a Pre-K-8 at Dowd Junction Site (old Battle Mountain in Eagle-Vail). Move Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and New America School to Red Sandstone Elementary

POSITIVES — board comments

• Financially, you've consolidated buildings effectively

• Program offerings would improve with schools at full

capacity (buildings at 80 to 85 percent capacity are able to offer the all of the arts, music, etc. that schools under‐

capacity sometimes miss out on)

POSITIVES — community comments

• Keep New America School where it is

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy is near the mountain

• Near Vail Golf Course for Nordic

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy at Red Sanstone Elementary School only allows maybe a housing component • Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy has a plus cross training at gymnastic center

• Sell land at Minturn Middle School (money)

• Get $4 million from Meadow Mountain Elementary School Land, Get $8 million from Minturn Middle School land

= $12 million

POSITIVES — staff comments

• Like Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and New America School together both have similar age groups

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy close to slopes on bus route

• Frees cost at Minturn Middle School

• Easy transportation

• Allows for up‐valley New America School

• Design to math our philosophy

• Exciting

• Leaves a school in Vail

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy's connection to the mountain

• *Our other favorite

• Saves 2 sites operating costs

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy – close to skiing

CHALLENGES — board comments

• Cost of renovating the old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site

• Disrupts east‐end programming

• Everyone school is re‐locating

• Disrupts New America School

• Largest disruption of staff

• Re‐drawing boundaries may push families out of

public schools

• Minturn Middle School is vacant

CHALLENGES — community comments

• New America School/moving a population to the east when most of the population is west

• Ever‐Vail says they will generate kids – but I don't believe that will impact schools, these will be starter families

CHALLENGES — staff comments

• Combines programs

• 600-plus kids between middle and elementary (not too bad with two principals)

• Need to bulldoze and rebuild to be successful

• Create an optimal learning environment

• Busing New America School kids to Vail

• Capacity issues at Dowd Site (old Battle Mountain)

• New America School – parking – No parking at Red Sandstone Elementary School

• See challenges on Option #3

Option: Combine Meadow Mountain Elementary School, Minturn Middle School and New America School at the Old Battle Mountain High School site/Dowd Junction Facility

POSITIVES — board comments

• Opportunity for high school students to act as mentors

• Shared campus idea accommodates [this many] students

• Mix of age groups

• Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy stays at Minturn Middle School



CHALLENGES — board comments

• Cost of renovating the old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site

• Mix of age groups

• Transportation for New America School students

• Families resistant to the combination of different

age groups and program offerings

Option: Minturn Middle School and Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy stay at Minturn Middle School, combine Red Sandstone Elementary School and Meadow Mountain Elementary School at the old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction site to create Pre‐K-5

POSITIVES — board member comments

• Avoids a Pre‐K‐8 configuration

• Minturn Middle School keeps a school in their community

• Town of Vail wouldn't have a problem with

accommodating the space for other uses

• Reduce transportation routes

CHALLENGES — board member comments



• Avoids a Pre‐K‐8 configuration

• Red Sandstone Elementary School loses a school in their community

• Programmatic change for Red Sandstone Elementary School

Option: Renovation of old Battle Mountain High School/Dowd Junction Site to enable Meadow Mountain Elementary School to move over there soon (in the next two years) and demolish Meadow Mountain Elementary School. Everything else stays as‐is.

POSITIVES — board comments

• Supports a phased‐approach to the problem

CHALLENGES — board comments



• This tackles the first domino (step in the decision-making process), but none of the subsequent dominoes

• Under‐utilizes several facilities

• In the future, renovations will take place with kids in

the school

• This process will fall after a board change (election)

Option: Make Berry Creek Middle School a 7/8 school. Move Minturn Middle 7/8 there. Make Dowd site (old Battle Mountain) a 3‐6 school. Move Minturn Middle School 6 there. Close Minturn Middle School...

...Additional description:Move Meadow Mountain Elementary School K‐3 to Red Sandstone Elementary school. Move Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy to Dowd Site.



POSITIVES — staff comments

• Meadow Mountain Elementary School 3‐6 is ELOB already

• Same cost of keeping Minturn Middle Schoool open

CHALLENGES — staff comments

• Combining ELOB & Dual Language at Berry Creek Middle School

• Losing the beautiful Minturn Middle School campus

• Small children from Eagle‐Vail would not be in their

community.

Option: Combine Meadow Mountain Elementary School, Red Sandstone Elementary School and Minturn Middle School into Dowd Junction. Move Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy to Red Sandstone Elementary School..

...additional description: Absorb New America School students into Battle Mountain High School, Eagle Valley High School and Red Canyon High School and open a viable night program at both ends of the valley either at Battle Mountain High School and Eagle Valley High School or at the Red Canyon High School Campuses.

POSITIVES — staff comments

• Sell off Minturn Middle School (money)

Option: Combine Red Sandstone Elementary School and Minturn Middle School into Red Sandstone Elementary School (K‐8) – take preschool out to create more room....

...additional description: *Meadow Mountain Elementary School with preschool/New America School/Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy at Dowd site (old Battle Mountain high in Eagle-Vail.

POSITIVES — staff comments

• Keeps community together

• Minturn aligns more with the Vail community

• New school (Red Sandstone Elementary School)

• Staff would be more positive

• Why would you keep all these small schools open?