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Logan County is facing a severe economic decline caused in
large part by the effect of an extreme water shortage on the
local farms. The county has been designated by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture as a primary disaster area because of drought-caused
agricultural loses. Partly becasue of the crash of the local
economy, the total bonding capacity (which is based on property
value) is less than one quarter of the cost of one new school.
Yet the district desperately needs to replace its elementary
school. To make matters worse, the district's base property
tax rate that is set by the interaction of two constitutional
amendments (the TABOR and Gallagher amendments) is the fifth
highest in the state (more than seven times higher than the
tax rate in the Aspen School District.)
The elementary school has significant problems with all its
major systems. The roof leaks so badly that the district had
to relocate children during CSAP testing. The heating system
is in desperate need of replacement -- there were several
days last winter when the system wouldn't run at all. The
plumbing system is a serious problem that has forced the district
to relocate kids periodically when the wastewater backs up
into the building. And the electrical system is entirely inadequate.
Last year, the district managed to fully equip the computer
lab with computers only to find out the antiquated wiring
cannot support the additional electrical load.
The 50-year old building was not designed to accommodate
the needs of a modern school. The school has no art room,
no music room, and has had to convert two restrooms into space
for one-on-one special needs instruction. The janitorial storage
is in the stairway and classes are sometimes conducted on
the stage..
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