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Educating over 800 students, the Ault-Highlands School District
is fairly large compared to some other rural districts. It
has experienced some modest growth recently and is expecting
more as the population of Greeley, about 11 miles away, expands.
Ten years ago, when the reality set in that the district would
have to replace its 50-year-old middle school, the district
began to renovate the then-vacant 1921 high school building.
Since then the district has cobbled together money wherever
it could find it including funds diverted from its operations
budget and various grant sources, including the Colorado State
Historical Society.
Last year, the district found itself still $1.5 million short
of what it needed to complete the school. In November 2005,
it asked voters to approve a bond measure for that amount.
That measure failed by a wide margin. Under the current system,
the district is left with few options but to ask voters again
in the hope that it will eventually be able to finish the
school and provide a safe and effective learning environment
for middle school students.
In the meantime, the heating system in the current middle
school is as old as the 1950's building and is in desperate
need of replacement. In addition, there is no ventilation.
The wiring system cannot accommodate the needs of a modern
school -- if too many pieces of equipment/computers are in
use in one area, the system crashes.
The high school's auditorium and stage, which used to house
the music and arts programs (of which the district was extremely
proud), had to be demolished because they weren't handicap
accessible and the district did not have the capital funds
to make the necessary upgrades. Now kids travel 10 miles each
way to a creaky municipal building in a neighboring town.
There they practice in their coats and gloves as the municipality
will not pay to heat the building during rehearsals.
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