Panther Valley School District should replace the roof on its elementary school in the next two years, a consulting engineer says.

The roof, which is built out of a metal meant to last 50 years, was installed less than 20 years ago.At a school board meeting Thursday night, engineer Jamie Lynch of D'Huy Associates advised the board that the roof has no danger of collapsing. However it does cause numerous leaks, which must be fixed by school maintenance workers."There is nothing similar to a fuel tank rupturing that needs to be taken care of tomorrow or next week," Lynch said, referring to the district's other recent capital project. "But it will continue to be a problem."Lynch said the reason was the way the roof was installed. The sloped metal roof was built over an existing flat roof and fastened onto the building with screws.Lynch said that it was a "unique" installation, because screws should not be driven through a metal roof."They just drilled enough screws into it so that they were confident it wouldn't blow off," he said.The roof has caused some leaks in the school, although Lynch commended the district maintenance staff for preventing more.It has also caused erosion around the school, because it has no gutters.Lynch recommended three different solutions for the roof - everything from a new, properly installed metal roof to a rubber cover for the existing one. He estimated the project could cost between $2 million to $3 million based on which option the board chooses."When you're talking about a broke district, you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. Aesthetics may have to take a back seat," board member John Williams said.