Some Western Slope school districts could soon be installing new and improved security cameras, emergency systems, roofing and other necessities thanks to newly awarded grant funding.

The Colorado State Board of Education approved $179 in Building Excellent Schools Today grants during its June 11 meeting to help fund construction projects across 12 Colorado school districts, including several on the Western Slope.

BEST grants are competitive and fund a variety of projects — such as systems replacement, renovations and school replacements — with a focus on improving health, safety, security and technology in schools. The projects are funded with local matching dollars, as well as funding from the Colorado State Land Board, the Colorado Lottery and marijuana excise taxes.

Based on 2025 assessment data, Colorado public schools need more than $20 billion worth of capital improvements, according to a news release from the Colorado Department of Education.

The approved list of grants is split into priority projects and backup projects, which will only receive funding in the event that a priority project fails to secure matching funds. Other priority projects also require the passage of a local bond measure by voters living within the school district boundaries in order for the grant money to be reimbursed.

Approximately $180 million is available in state grant funds with $55 million in matching funds, representing $234 million in total project costs. Of the 53 projects approved by the Colorado Department of Education, 14 have been identified as priority projects because they can be funded within the available appropriations.

These include four projects in school districts in Summit, Garfield, Grand and Rio Blanco counties, amounting to almost $8.5 million in BEST funding.

The largest project of the four is a $16 million project for district-wide heating, ventilation and air conditioning at Rangely RE-4 schools in Rio Blanco County, which will receive nearly $7 million in BEST grant funding. The grant also covers as well as electrical, roof, fire alarm and security upgrades.

The other three awarded projects include district-wide security camera upgrades for Garfield RE-2 schools (over $223,800 in grant funding), security upgrades for Summit RE-1 (over $113,000 in grant funding) and a roof replacement for Middle Park High School for the East Grand school district (nearly $1.2 million in grant funding).

Grant recipients are chosen based on a variety of factors, including the condition of school facilities, history of capital improvements, previous applications and urgency.

“Summit School District serves over 3,500 students across nine schools in the resort communities of Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, and Silverthorne. While committed to educational excellence, the district’s aging security infrastructure-within buildings ranging from over 20 to nearly 55 years old-fails to meet modern safety needs and hinders effective emergency communication,” the district wrote in its grant application.

Summit asked that the grant money also go toward upgrading its emergency phone systems, which would help to streamline lockdowns, lockouts and shelter-in-place procedures, and facilitate location-based 911 dialing for faster response times.

In its application, a representative for Garfield RE-2 also described a growing need for more effective security methods as its student population has grown from 4,000 in 2005 to around 4,700 in 2025.

“In the last three years alone, we have replaced 36 cameras. Despite these efforts, our surveillance system remains significantly outdated and inadequate,” the district said. The applicant committed to a contribution of $415,700 toward the project in order to receive a grant match.

Several Western Slope school districts are mentioned as potential grant recipients for backup projects, including Mesa, Routt and Eagle counties, in addition to secondary projects for Grand and Rio Grande counties.