Academy School District 20 has taken the next step toward rebuilding and expanding one of its elementary schools.

During their regular meeting Thursday night, D-20’s Board of Education voted to approve RTA Architects as the firm to design a new Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school to replace existing Douglass Valley Elementary.

In a unique opportunity for the school and the district, the majority of the school’s construction costs will be paid will federal dollars via the Funding for Public Schools on Military Installations (PSMI) program.

Through the U.S. Department of Defense, the PSMI program provides the majority of funding for major rebuilds or renovation projects for schools on military installations. Specifically, the department covers 80% of the projects’ total costs to the district’s 20%.

In the case of Douglass Valley, total costs are projected at approximately $61.2 million, with the PSMI funding covering $48.9 million and the district covering $12.2 million.

In recent years, D-20 has saved $9.3 million in its general fund to earmark for an eventual PSMI project. The remaining funding will come from other reserve dollars.

In 2018, the department completed an assessment of the 161 military-based schools across the country and ranked their levels of deficiency. Douglass Valley Elementary ranked 71st, while Air Academy High School ranked 61st, since both are located on Air Force Academy grounds.

Based on available funding to date, schools ranked through priority No. 71 have been invited to participate in the program to fund various respective construction, renovation, repair and expansion projects. In D-20’s case, they were invited by the DOD to participate last year.

Unlike Douglass Valley, full funding for Air Academy High will hinge on a bond vote in November to match the PSMI’s funding in addition to other renovation needs throughout all the district’s schools.

Last March, a federal evaluation team toured the schools and followed up with design proposals submitted to the department’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

In addition to a new state-of-the-art facility, the new school will also expand from a K-5 school to include pre-kindergarten through eighth grades.

When speaking to the board, D-20 Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Becky Allen noted this would benefit the entire district by creating a new preschool along with another option for middle school for families at the academy with the current feeder middle school Eagle View.

“In partnership with Col. (Cheo) Stallworth and other leadership at USAFA, we know that continuity of educational opportunities for military families, who so choose it, would have that opportunity,” she said.

In June, D-20 received an invitation to submit a formal grant application for Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation funding of a project just over $3.89 million, accounting for both federal and non-federal funding, for the design of the new school.

This was followed by a request for proposal by D-20 in July to firms before RTA was ultimately selected. The approved contract is valued at no more than $2,47 million.

The design project accounts for both RTA’s contract but also additional related services including soil reports, environmental surveys and construction management.

The district will now submit a construction plan to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation and begin the design phase.

During a planning presentation in May, an estimated timeline projected that construction would begin August 2025 and the new school would open in August 2027, though these dates are subject to change.

“It sounds like a great opportunity that we’re moving forward and starting to get some traction with it,” D-20 Board President Aaron Salt said.