MONTE VISTA — A building along Highway 160 that once served the Rio Grande National Forest is beginning a very different chapter, this time serving students, families and school districts throughout the San Luis Valley.

San Luis Valley BOCES is moving into its renovated facility at 1803 W. U.S. Highway 160 in Monte Vista, bringing programs and services into a building designed to better meet the needs of students and staff.

The BOCES website is now carrying a “We’re Moving” notice, and its current schedules place October meetings and activities at the new Sand Dunes Learning Center in Monte Vista.

Serving Schools Across the San Luis Valley

San Luis Valley BOCES — the Board of Cooperative Educational Services — works with 14 school districts across the Valley, allowing districts to share specialized educational programs and services that can be difficult for individual rural districts to provide on their own.

Its work includes special education and other services for students of different ages and abilities.

The move to Monte Vista is particularly significant for two programs: the SLV Foundations Academy and the SLV Transitions Program.

Foundations Academy provides specialized educational services for students whose needs may require a setting and support beyond what can be provided in a traditional classroom.

The Transitions Program works with students with disabilities ages 18 to 21, helping them develop life and adult skills as they prepare for greater independence after leaving the traditional school system.

A Need Years in the Making

The move did not happen overnight.

BOCES had been operating from an aging facility on Enterprise Drive in Alamosa.

When the organization applied for funding for a replacement facility, it described serious shortcomings at the existing Foundations Academy building, including concerns involving safety, security and the ability to adequately serve students.

Rather than construct an entirely new building, BOCES explored whether an existing property could be renovated.

The former Forest Service office west of Monte Vista emerged as the solution.

BOCES reported that architects and engineers evaluated the property and determined that, with modifications, the building could accommodate Foundations Academy, the Transitions Program and administrative offices.

That allowed an existing San Luis Valley building to be repurposed instead of starting from the ground up.

State Funding Helped Make It Possible

The project received funding through Colorado's Building Excellent Schools Today, or BEST, grant program.

BOCES financial records show a BEST grant of about $6.08 million for the purchase and renovation, with a required local match of about $700,000.

The property was purchased in July 2024, followed by renovation work to convert the former office building into a facility suitable for educational programs and student services.

The result is more than simply a change of address.

For students in specialized programs, the physical environment can play an important role in learning, safety and independence.

A facility designed around those needs can give educators additional flexibility while providing students with a more appropriate place to learn and develop skills.

A Valley-Wide Investment

Although the new building is located in Monte Vista, its reach extends well beyond the city limits.

SLV BOCES serves districts stretching across the San Luis Valley, from Creede and Del Norte to Alamosa, Center, Saguache, Moffat, La Jara, Sanford, Antonito and other communities.

That makes the new facility a regional investment rather than simply another Monte Vista construction project.

And for a building that once helped manage the forests and public lands surrounding the San Luis Valley, its new purpose seems fitting.

Instead of serving the landscape surrounding our communities, it will now help serve some of the young people growing up within them.

For current schedules, programs and move information, readers can check San Luis Valley BOCES directly as operations shift to the Monte Vista facility.