Study: School Repairs Lagging

The Denver nonprofit last month completed two surveys that attempt to gauge the extent of unmet capital construction needs in the state's 178 public school districts, said Mary Wickersham, Director of Special Projects ...

The survey found that the average facility was built in 1967 of concrete masonry. Just under half have air conditioning, and facility managers rated 37% of their facilities as less than "good."

"We think the state needs to do a total statewide assessment," said Wickersham, who is also advocating for a change to the way Colorado funds school-building construction and maintenance ...

Districts can raise property taxes to pay for construction projects. But because the levies are based on property values, poorer districts can't raise as much as their wealthier counterparts.