Frequently Asked Questions:
Question: Why is the Pikes Peak Education Park needed?
Answer: Rural students deserve access to top-notch facilities for career-connected learning. The eight districts involved in Pikes Peak Education Park will collaborate to hire top-notch instructors for these career-connected classes. Bringing students in from all eight districts will also result in class sizes that are cost effective and focused on cutting-edge 21st-century career skills.
Question: Will the Education Park include special needs students?
Answer: Yes. The Pikes Peak BOCES School of Excellence (located in Colorado Springs now) and Pikes Peak BOCES East School (located in Calhan now) will be combined at the Education Park with a brand new facility. This would allow us to offer career-connected learning opportunities to special needs students as well.
Question: How many special needs students would be served at the new facility?
Answer: About 125 students. Currently, these students come from 23 school districts in the Pikes Peak region.
Question: How many rural students would be able to access the education park?
Answer: About 500 rural students in Pikes Peak BOCES member school districts. The park would also be open and available to students in any of the Pikes Peak BOCES associate member districts.
Question: Where will the Pikes Peak Education Park be located?
Answer: The 87-acre site is on the northeast corner of Judge Orr Road and Elbert Road, about five miles east of Falcon.
Question: When will it open?
Answer: If funding comes together and all goes according to the plan, the hope would be to start providing work-based learning for students beginning in the fall of 2025.
Question: Will school districts provide transportation?
Answer: Yes. Because of the centralized location, this will help with school transportation. Rural districts currently share transportation for maximum efficiency.
Question: Will the Pikes Peak Education Park offer half-day or full-day programs?
Answer: Half-day. The plan is to run half-day instructional blocks. Students will receive academics and other electives at their school of attendance.
Question: What programs will be offered?
Answer: Stay tuned for announcements as the programs come together. Initial planning involves construction; heavy equipment operators in partnership with local labor union leadership; cyber security in partnership with Force Now and Zivaro; and criminal justice / 911 emergency service dispatch in partnership with the El Paso County Sheriff.
Question: Where will money come from to build Pikes Peak Education Park?
Answer: Pikes Peak BOCES is currently seeking grants for centralized water system and initial construction trades / criminal justice building. The Education Park is being established as a non-profit organization to accept donations from all sources of financial support.
Question: Who is designing the facilities?
Answer: When the time comes, Pikes Peak BOCES will go through a bidding process to select an architect.
Question: Who will select and hire staff for Pikes Peak Education Park?
Answer: Pikes Peak BOCES, in collaboration with the leadership of all eight member school districts, will hire staff.
Question: What is the process for gathering public input as planning continues?
Answer: Pikes Peak BOCES will hold informational meetings as the plans come together and will actively seek community input.
Question: How will Pikes Peak BOCES decide on what programs to offer first?
Answer: The initial plans are based on an assessment of community needs is how Pikes Peak BOCES established the initial programs to be offered. As we make progress pulling the Education Park together, Pikes Peak BOCES can easily adapt to what new career-connected programs are needed.
Answer: Rural students deserve access to top-notch facilities for career-connected learning. The eight districts involved in Pikes Peak Education Park will collaborate to hire top-notch instructors for these career-connected classes. Bringing students in from all eight districts will also result in class sizes that are cost effective and focused on cutting-edge 21st-century career skills.
Question: Will the Education Park include special needs students?
Answer: Yes. The Pikes Peak BOCES School of Excellence (located in Colorado Springs now) and Pikes Peak BOCES East School (located in Calhan now) will be combined at the Education Park with a brand new facility. This would allow us to offer career-connected learning opportunities to special needs students as well.
Question: How many special needs students would be served at the new facility?
Answer: About 125 students. Currently, these students come from 23 school districts in the Pikes Peak region.
Question: How many rural students would be able to access the education park?
Answer: About 500 rural students in Pikes Peak BOCES member school districts. The park would also be open and available to students in any of the Pikes Peak BOCES associate member districts.
Question: Where will the Pikes Peak Education Park be located?
Answer: The 87-acre site is on the northeast corner of Judge Orr Road and Elbert Road, about five miles east of Falcon.
Question: When will it open?
Answer: If funding comes together and all goes according to the plan, the hope would be to start providing work-based learning for students beginning in the fall of 2025.
Question: Will school districts provide transportation?
Answer: Yes. Because of the centralized location, this will help with school transportation. Rural districts currently share transportation for maximum efficiency.
Question: Will the Pikes Peak Education Park offer half-day or full-day programs?
Answer: Half-day. The plan is to run half-day instructional blocks. Students will receive academics and other electives at their school of attendance.
Question: What programs will be offered?
Answer: Stay tuned for announcements as the programs come together. Initial planning involves construction; heavy equipment operators in partnership with local labor union leadership; cyber security in partnership with Force Now and Zivaro; and criminal justice / 911 emergency service dispatch in partnership with the El Paso County Sheriff.
Question: Where will money come from to build Pikes Peak Education Park?
Answer: Pikes Peak BOCES is currently seeking grants for centralized water system and initial construction trades / criminal justice building. The Education Park is being established as a non-profit organization to accept donations from all sources of financial support.
Question: Who is designing the facilities?
Answer: When the time comes, Pikes Peak BOCES will go through a bidding process to select an architect.
Question: Who will select and hire staff for Pikes Peak Education Park?
Answer: Pikes Peak BOCES, in collaboration with the leadership of all eight member school districts, will hire staff.
Question: What is the process for gathering public input as planning continues?
Answer: Pikes Peak BOCES will hold informational meetings as the plans come together and will actively seek community input.
Question: How will Pikes Peak BOCES decide on what programs to offer first?
Answer: The initial plans are based on an assessment of community needs is how Pikes Peak BOCES established the initial programs to be offered. As we make progress pulling the Education Park together, Pikes Peak BOCES can easily adapt to what new career-connected programs are needed.