(Information compiled by Donnell-Kay, May 2005, from a sample assessment done on one elementary, one middle school and one high school, from an inventory of 150 buildings.)

Denver Public School district has approximately 150 buildings and a documented backlog of $123 million in unfunded facilities maintenance and construction. Many schools in the district were built in the early 1900's. Building maintenance needs range from boiler replacement and new ventilation systems to fire alarm installation and new roofs.

Gilpin Elementary, built in 1926, is one example of a school in desperate need of repairs -- an estimated $6 million for this school alone. Some classrooms are too small, especially for their active preschool and kindergarten students. The school's interior flooring and doors are 80 years old and need to be updated. The ventilation system is so old that the only fresh air comes from cracking the windows open. But the windows are unsafe and the boiler system has trouble keeping up.

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