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Donor offers funds to help middle school

An anonymous donor has offered $50,000 toward the cost of buying Mountain Middle School’s building if the charter institution can match the amount.

School officials learned of the challenge Tuesday, said board president Erin Patla.

“We’ll look for contributions from our parents, grants and corporate donations,” Patla said.

The challenge is the second time in two months that an angel appeared. In September, the Animas Valley Investment Group donated its $400,000 half-share in the 12,000-square-foot building to the cause.

The $270,000 that the school, now in its fourth year, has paid in rent-to-own reduced the remaining $400,000 to $130,000.

Now, if Mountain Middle can match the $50,000, it will need only $30,000 to own the building outright.

Patla said the first priority is to expand the school building on West 31st Street to accommodate kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms.

The project is unrelated to the plans of Durango Schools of Choice to start a K-5 charter school, Patla said.

Providing facilities is the biggest road block to the long-term success of charter schools, Patla said.

“We’re meeting with architects and engineers to discuss building out,” Patla said. He said the $50,000 challenge “is a real opportunity to make it happen.”

Further along, school board members want to seek green-building certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Patla said.

A building corporation is being formed to oversee expansion of Mountain Middle, Patla said. A five-member panel, including three from the school’s board of directors, is contemplated, she said.

daler@durangoherald.com



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