In Colorado, school buildings have traditionally been considered the responsibility of local districts. Although Colorado ensures that operating revenue for public education is roughly equal for every child in the state, funding for school building construction, maintenance and repair is still based almost exclusively on local district wealth. The result is that, according to one study, 88% of Colorado’s schools are not in good physical condition. According to the Colorado state auditor’s office, Colorado needs $4.7 billion to bring its schools into good condition. The schools we depend on to house, protect and educate our children are, in some cases literally, crumbling.

The Donnell-Kay Foundation is examining the condition and funding of Colorado’s school buildings. The project will ask and analyze:

  • What is the condition of Colorado’s schools?
  • What are the factors driving the construction and repair needs (e.g., population growth, maintenance that has been put off because of sagging revenue, aging schools, etc.)?
  • Is Colorado’s current way of funding school building construction and repair adequate?
  • What are other states doing?


The health, safety and education of our kids are of paramount importance. We must make sure Colorado is doing the best it can to take care of the buildings that house the future of its kids.

Download a full summary of this project in PDF format.

For additional information, please go to www.crumblingclassrooms.org.

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