By Kathy Moss,
Chairperson

For more than 20 years the Montezuma-Cortez School District has met the requirements for additional space, stadium improvements, asbestos abatement and major remodeling from funds provided by the state and local tax allocations. The one exception is the addition and remodeling of the Middle School, which was funded by the local electorate approving a six-year mill levy. It was assessed for the first at 11 mills. Due to increases in assessed valuation, the levy now stands at 5.5 mills and this is the last year of the assessment. During this election the same local electorate will be asked to extend this levy at 5 mills for three additional years in order to provide funds for capital improvements within the district.

The school board was presented with a proposed long-range facilities plan which identified safety needs, program needs, space needs and maintenance needs at each of the schools, along with an estimated cost to implement these needs. Some school districts in Colorado and other parts of the nation have experienced the closing of their buildings due to building deficiencies allowed to get out of control. Others are facing the real probability their structures may be condemned until major improvements are accomplished. These conditions are causing a real detriment to the educational processes in these locations. Although none of the structures within the Montezuma-Cortez School District is now facing these dilemmas, it is prudent of the school board to be proactive rather than reactive to needed improvements within the district.

There are 13 improvements to be covered by the approval of this extended mill levy. In the first year, boilers will be replaced at Downy and Beech Street. The current boilers are 47 and 51 years old, respectively. They are the only remaining steam boilers in the district, and the efficiencies gained in boiler design and construction in the past 50 years will provide significant savings in energy costs even at past rates. While there is no immediate safety concern, parts for these antiquated boilers are getting harder and harder to find and could result in lack of heat while awaiting parts. In addition, 47 to 51 years of mineral and calcium buildup in the boilers and distribution systems has added to the need for major replacement.

During the first year MCHS will also receive bleacher replacements, support and mechanism replacement for the gym-side baskets, and a safe student drop-off area. The school district has been warned about the inadequacy of the bleacher system for several years. They are far out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and common-sense safety. The manufacturer is no longer in the bleacher business so repair parts and retrofits for compliance are unavailable.

These conditions leave the district vulnerable for legal liability, but more important than legal liability is the likelihood of serious and perhaps crippling injuries to patrons because of these inadequacies. The capacity of the bleachers is often inadequate for the numbers of spectators who participate.

After many years of raising and lowering the basketball hoops and backboard assemblies in the high school, the entire system needs rebuilding and replacement to assure adequate safety.

Another urgent need at the high school is a safe area for students to be dropped off and picked up. Currently the only areas for students to be dropped off or picked up are on Seventh Street or in the parking lot at a time when traffic in both locations is heavy. The district has identified an area to the west of the high school that could be improved to accommodate this safe area.

Kemper, in the first year, will receive carpet replacement which will also call for the abatement of the asbestos tile underlying the present carpet.

During the second year, windows, doors and shades will be replaced at Downey. Lewis-Arriola will receive additional reading and technology classrooms, a counselor’s office, conference area, library, music room, teacher’s workroom and kitchen. Carpet will be replaced at Manaugh and the asbestos floor tile underlying the present carpeting will be abated along with the addition of two new classrooms. At the preschool, an additional classroom will be added as well as restrooms on the north side.

The third year will allow for five additional classrooms and two additional restrooms at MCHS in addition to remodeling the home-economics kitchen. Three additional classrooms will be added at Mesa. Full-day kindergarten is a topic heard regularly from the state level. As the education community focuses more intently in improving the capabilities of K-12 education, the full-day kindergarten strength is most often a priority. In an attempt to reduce past crowding, eliminate one mobile classroom and begin to make preliminary provisions for full-day kindergarten, it proposed that three classrooms be added to Downey. Other proposed classroom additions are needed, not because of additional enrollment levels, but due to additional mandated programs the district must provide to a portion of the district’s students. An example of these additional programs would be remedial reading and tutorial programs that must be provided to students at risk.

Colorado law allows the electorate of a district to vote on an extension of the current mill levy for a three-year period. The projects would be completed as the taxes are collected on the extended mill levy and because no bond or financing is involved the entire taxes collected can be used for these capital improvements rather than paying interest to finance them. An additional benefit is the avoidance of high costs associated with employing bond counsel and bonding firms to administer the proposal.

The assets of the school district belong to the entire community and the extension of this mill levy to be capped at 5 mills for only a three-year period would allow us to bring these assets into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, make our schools safer, and make us prepared and ready for mandated full-day kindergarten. Since we are already paying 5.5 mills and the request is for 5 mills, there will be no additional taxes to the taxpayer.