"Teachers feel really good about the parent support," said Jeannie Beyer, spokeswoman for the St. Vrain Valley Education Association. "But they realize it's not going to be possible for them to solve this problem."

　　The 22,000-student district in parts of Weld, Boulder and Larimer counties discovered the shortfall last month. The finance director resigned and an assistant superintendent has been suspended. District officials said an independent audit showed the two mismanaged the budget but did not commit fraud.

　　"It's extraordinary. Nobody would have ever imagined something happening like this at this level," said State Treasurer Mike Coffman. "I think the state needs to learn from this."

　　It takes a village

　　Coffman and district officials last week agreed on a state bailout plan freeing up a $9.8 million loan that enabled the payroll to be met for 2,700 teachers and staff in time for the holidays.

　　The plan calls for all district employees to take a 7.1 percent pay cut beginning January 1 and a hiring freeze through June 2004. Administrators who used to pay $1 a month for family health insurance now will pay $1 for themselves and the regular premium for the rest of their families.

　　District officials also took $1.7 million from student-activity accounts in its 38 schools.

　　At Coffman's request, the Boulder District Attorney has begun investigating the district's finances. Coffman has said he wants to know whether district officials hid the budget shortfall until after the November election, when voters approved a $212 million bond issue for schools.

　　In Frederick about 30 miles northeast of Denver, Bohanning and other parents of students at Prairie Ridge Elementary School are buying classroom supplies and offering to pay for groceries and utility bills to keep first-year teachers and principals in their jobs.

　　Some $36,000 have been raised in donations from Safeway. A Chevrolet dealership chipped in $10,000 and forgave the district's $10,750 bill for renting the driver education cars. IBM chipped in 4,500 reams of paper.

　　"We employ thousands of people in this community," said Mitch Carson, a hospital chief executive officer, who helped raise funds. "We have children in the schools, and we see how they could be affected."

　　At Silver Creek Middle-Senior High School, three juniors started a Web site called www.poorschool.com that displays newspaper articles, district information and an e-mail forum.

　　"Rumors about what is happening to the district are moving at lightning speed," site co-creator Mitch Lubbers, 17, said. "We wanted to know the truth, and spread that around instead."

　　26. What has happened to the Vrain School District?

　　{A) A huge financial problem has arisen.}

　　B) Many schools there are mismanaged.

　　C) Lots of teachers in the district are planning to quit.

　　D) Many administrative personnel have been laid off.

　　27. How did the residents in the Vrain School District respond to the budget shortage?