As School District 49 continues to expand eastward, leadership has begun discussing how it might build on its existing schools and programs to meet their projected needs.

Consolidating the existing Falcon Elementary School of Technology and Bennett Ranch Elementary Schools to a single building and selling existing properties along Woodmen Road to go toward developing a new pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school were among the options explored during the D-49 Board of Education’s regular meeting Thursday night.

D-49’s Falcon Zone Superintendent Brian Smith told the board that these discussions began to address growth and budget challenges that the district’s easternmost schools experience. He added that Thursday’s action was the first step in a process that is far from certain and will be followed by community engagement.

“There’s a lot of moving steps and planning that has to take place with all of this. There’s a lot of community conversations that still have to take place with all of this. There’s just many different things that we have to start moving on and planning for,” he said.

Over the past year, D-49 became the largest school district in the Pikes Peak region, with a student count of 26,649 recorded for the 2024-25 school year. However, nearly 6,700 students from this count are affiliated with GOAL Academy, which has locations throughout Colorado and operates as an online school chartered by the district.

Earlier this year, the board approved the application of a new charter school, Honor Charter School, which is slated to open for the 2027-28 school year along Bent Grass Meadows Drive. It will be the first charter school in the Falcon Zone of D-49.

D-49 Superintendent Peter Hilts echoed Smith’s point on the early stages of this process.

“We’re pragmatic, we understand this is something of great public importance … so we wanted to bring it to you,” he told board members. “But we’re well too early to be able to bring you anything specific.”

Hilts added that he had met with board members in executive session over the summer, along with teachers and staff at the affected schools, before bringing it to the board for a vote to proceed so that everyone was aware of what discussions were set to begin.

The board unanimously approved the initial steps to explore future expansion, which will now fall under Hilts and Smith in their administrative capacities. The district will now meet with architects for potential building designs and begin engaging with the schools’ parent-teacher associations and broader communities to determine their needs going forward.