Garfield County grants $25,000 to Colorado River BOCES – Garfield County, Colorado
Garfield County moved to a new web address in March. Find us then at garfieldcountyco.gov. Domains like this are more trusted, because only official governments can use them.
Mechanic and female trainee working underneath car together.

County grants $25,000 to Colorado River BOCES

Nearly 700 local students took part in EPIC program between 2022 and ‘25

PRESS RELEASE
February 4, 2026

Garfield County continued its support of Colorado River Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES), approving a $25,000 nonprofit discretionary grant toward student program tuition and uniforms, industry outreach, and more. The Board of County Commissioners had pledged the grant amount in October 2025 and budgeted for the award in the 2026 budget.

BOCES offers educational programs and opportunities for high school students from school districts from Aspen through De Beque. Close to 700 local students directly engaged with BOCES’ Educational Pathways to Innovative Careers (EPIC) program between 2022 and 2025.

Mark Gregory, career and technical education (CTE) director for BOCES, told the board that the funds would be used to continue offering outstanding career technical education programming and support throughout the region.

“We’re going to use these funds for professional development and programming support,” he said. “It’s almost all going to be based on skill trades, including automotive, aviation, construction, and architecture needs.”

Gregory added that the funding will also support the 2026 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) conference, which is being hosted by Colorado BOCES later this year.

“The conference has come to Glenwood Springs the past three years and brings at least 250 people from across the state to our area,” he said. “We support that conference … and bringing it here saves our local teachers and the schools lots of money in travel expenses and room and board.”

“This is hands on and these students can get a job right here where they have a support system and can take off right now,” said Commissioner Mike Samson. “This is what a lot of these young people are looking for. They come to their employers with a solid background and are ready to start working.”

“The graduation rate of kids who have been in just one CTE class is around 92 percent,” Gregory said. “In our area, the typical graduation rate is hovering around 83 percent, so kids that get into career and tech ed. graduate and end up getting jobs. If they want to attend college, there’s still a pathway for that. CTE is for all kids no matter which direction they want to go in.”

The BOCES grant was approved unanimously, 3-0.