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After touring rural schools that have rotting roofs and moldy floors, some Colorado legislators are proposing to spend nearly $1 billion plan to bail out districts that can't afford to replace decrepit and unsafe buildings. Top Democrats, led by House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and Senate President-elect Peter Groff, want to use a fund generated from the 3 million acres the federal government gave Colorado schoolchildren in 1876. They are proposing to take $30 million to $40 million each year for the next 20 years--about a third of the amount the fund generates in interest and lease payments. The state could increase the first year's allotment up to $450 million by financing new school buildings through private investors
