GLASGOW When Barren County schools built the 550-pupil-capacity Red Cross Elementary School in 1999, administrators thought they had dealt with overcrowding in crumbling facilities. Less than two years later, they again are facing overcrowding. School attendance was at 450 when we were planning the school nearly two years ago, said Bill Walter, the districts director of personnel and public relations. When we opened the doors (in fall 1999), we had 600 students. The board recently changed Red Cross attendance boundaries sending at least 20 pupils to Park City Elementary School this coming fall and closed attendance to pupils living outside the schools attendance area, Walter said. Walter doesnt know if those moves will relieve the overcrowding but considers them steps in the right direction, he said. The school board soon will start the bidding process for a new Park City Elementary School, followed by plans for a new and much-needed Temple Hill facility. The board also must deal with Eastern Elementary School, which also is above capacity, Superintendent Jerry Ralston said. The increased enrollment has strained our facilities to the point that we dont have classrooms for the students, Ralston said. But not all school districts have immediate structural needs once a major renovation or construction project is completed. Rather than overcrowding, neighboring Glasgow schools has a five-year student shortage that has cost the district $858,000 in state funding and made it unable to fund a new and much-needed E.B. Terry Elementary School. The building, which Kentucky Department of Education listed as one of 76 schools in poor condition statewide, has an antiquated heating-and-cooling system and rusted-out underground pipes, Superintendent Duane Tennant said. The only thing that keeps the pipes going is that they are encased in cement, he said. Its also a transition building, which means that we cant make any major renovations to it or add to it. The board plans to ask taxpayers to help fund the $5 million project that includes construction and demolition, Tennant said. The funding referendum also would include badly needed upgrades at Glasgow High School. Once both projects are completed, the board wont have to deal with antiquated buildings for several years, Tennant said. Bowling Green schools will have no immediate needs once it completes a new Bowling Green Junior High School this summer, Superintendent John Settle said. The year 2006 will be the earliest that we will start considering any new construction projects, he said. It will give us time to pay off some of our (old) projects and free up enough money for the (new) projects. Our long-range facilities plan will begin with the replacement of four elementary schools. After the district relocates sixth-graders to the new junior high school facility, it eventually will consolidate its six elementary schools into the four new facilities, he said. Building plans are a bit more tentative for Warren County schools. Once contractors complete the $7.6 million, 600-pupil-capacity Briarwood Elementary School on Lovers Lane and a six-classroom addition to North Warren Elementary in Smiths Grove, the districts next major project will be an addition to its three middle schools, maintenance Director Charles Rector said. Rector said he doesnt know when the board will start those projects. Other school districts report few problems, with the exception of Logan County where Chandlers Elementary School is at capacity just years after construction. Allen County: White Plains Elementary School, which was built in 1958, also was on Kentucky Department of Educations list of 76 schools in poor condition. Besides age, the school faces overcrowding and a lack of space for additions. Allen County Board of Education recognizes that a new building is needed, but it lacks the necessary bonding potential for the estimated $8 million project. Superintendent Larry Williams hopes to have a new White Plains building completed by the time they pay off the debt on James E. Bazzell Middle School, but it will depend on funding, he said. But the districts overcrowding issue wont be over; its looking into a major renovation of Allen County-Scottsville High School. Caverna: Caverna schools district doesnt have any overcrowding or older school problems, Superintendent Charles Roberts said. The district remodeled Caverna elementary and high schools nearly eight years ago. Preschool now is housed in two module units, but preschoolers could move into the elementary school building if sixth-graders free up three classrooms by moving to the high school. The district most likely would use the third classroom as a computer lab, Roberts said. Butler County: Neither Superintendent James Carver nor facilities director Kenneth Reed was available for comment. Edmonson County: Contractors still are putting the finishing touches on South Edmonson Elementary School, which opened in August to replace an old and overcrowded Brownsville Elementary School. Logan County: Chandlers Elementary School is facing the same overcrowding dilemma as Barren Countys Red Cross Elementary School. The school district built the 350-pupil-capacity facility in 1993, when it had a population of 320 pupils. That population now is 420 pupils, Principal Barry Silvey said. The board doesnt have any immediate plans to relieve the overcrowding. Contractors recently started two major renovation projects at Auburn Elementary and Logan County High schools to help relieve their overcrowding, said Mark Bennett, the districts director of federal programs. Both projects should be completed by the end of 2002. Russellville: A new Russellville Middle School tops the school districts priority list, Superintendent Donna Preston said. Among the schools shortfalls the facility built in 1951 needs a new heating and air-conditioning system. Russellville Board of Education wants a new facility but lacks enough bonding potential to start the project, Preston said. The district has received state construction funding but it only can be used for projects listed in the facilities plan, and the board has listed maintaining current facilities in its facility plan, Preston said. The board most likely will review its facilities plan next year, she said. Simpson County: Contractors just completed an $800,000, four-classroom addition to Simpson Elementary School and will finish an $1.9 million upgrade of Franklin-Simpson High School in a couple of weeks. Though there are several more renovation projects including a new cafeteria for the middle school on the districts to do list, Simpson County Board of Education wont be able to finish any of them until they increase their bonding potential, Superintendent Victor Buehler said.