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Colorado districts aren’t getting enough state money to maintain schools and attract teachers. So they’re turning to local taxpayers.

Erica Breunlin, Colorado Sun
Fowler Elementary students cross Colorado 167 on their way to lunch at the Fowler High School cafeteria on Oct. 23, 2019. Fowler voted in favor of a bond measure that school district officials hope will increase their chances to receive BEST funding. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun)

The newest part of Fowler Jr. & Sr. High School is actually pretty old – about 45 years old.

Like seven other rural districts in Colorado, Fowler School District set its sights on tapping the state’s BEST Grant program to help fix its three schools, but to do it, Fowler would first need a $4.9 million bond to provide the local match required by the state grant.

Fowler, a sprawling district east of Pueblo with close to 400 students, is one step closer to building that replacement school after its bond measure passed Tuesday.



“It’s exciting that our community was on board with the plans that we have in trying to keep Fowler schools performing at the levels that everybody expects us to,” Superintendent Alfie Lotrich said.

Read more via The Colorado Sun.


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