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Tuesday, 14 August 2007 |
Wapak residents to vote on school building tax in November
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
Residents in the Wapakoneta City Schools District can expect to see a tax levy on the ballot in November.
Members of the schools’ board of education voted unanimously during regular session Monday night to ask residents to help fund the local share of a $48 million construction and renovation project for which the state will pick up 63 percent of the costs.
The board members’ decision was met with applause from those attending the meeting.
“We just think it’s in the best interest of the school district to do it now,” Board President Dave Copeland said after the meeting. “This is the best choice for the school district physically and financially.”
The board members had contemplated waiting until the spring to put the 5.8 mill bond issue on the ballot, but in doing so could have lost financial incentives and would have been more time crunched to get the issue passed.
Copeland said the next step in the process is to form committees, begin a campaign, and hold as many informational meetings as necessary to make sure the public is as educated as they need to be.
Board member Ron Mertz described the district’s ability to take advantage of state funding through the Ohio School Facilities Commission as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“We’re able to plan for the future and build for the future,” Mertz said.
The project would include building two new elementary schools and renovating both the middle and high schools. As for the location of the two new elementary schools, Copeland said a decision has not been finalized.
“We’re still in the process of deciding,” Copeland said. “We will be deciding soon, before we go to the polls.”
Cridersville Mayor Robert Conner, who attended the meeting along with several other village representatives, said they remain optimistic that school officials will consider erecting a new building in their vicinity.
“It’s necessary for Cridersville,” Conner said. “We’re hoping for the best and working hard to try to make things come together. The village and school board and land owners are still negotiating.”
He said losing the village’s school could be very detrimental to its future, both economically and in its ability to grow.
“We invite everyone in the school district to get involved,” Copeland said. “No matter how you look at it, this is an opportunity for our school district, to help it become one of the best in the state of Ohio. This is a lot of money and something that will only come around once.”
District administrators learned this spring the district was eligible earlier than expected for assistance from OSFC, the statewide organization that provides partial funding |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 15 August 2007 )
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