LUCAS — Lucas Local School District voters, who rejected a bond issue for a new K-12 school building two months ago, will now be asked to spend more for the project in November.
Yet supporters of the levy say that due to state funds available for a new building project, the local share to fund a new facility will cost taxpayers less than updating and maintaining existing facilities.
The Lucas Local School board passed a resolution of necessity last month for a $30,125,000 bond issue. The 3-1 vote allowed the district treasurer to begin the necessary paperwork in conjunction with the county auditor’s office.
Superintendent Brad Herman said the $3 million increase is due to updated costs associated with the project.
“There were some adjustments in there for inflationary costs and bond interest rates,” Herman said.
The May primary ballot issue garnered a higher-than-average voter turnout. More than 49 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. The measure failed by just 126 votes, with a final vote count of 639 to 513.
“It was so close and the levy committee felt that there was some opportunities that they had missed,” school board president Tim Cooper said. “They would like another chance to convince the public.”
In May, the projected total cost for the proposed new facility was $34 million. District officials said if the issue had passed, the district would be eligible for an $8 million match from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
Meanwhile, the cost to renovate and maintain Lucas’ aging facilities was estimated at $31 million, according architectural firm Garmann Miller of Columbus.
Herman said the district does not have an updated projection for maintenance costs, but he and board members anticipate it will still cost the district less to build new.
“I think the board evaluated and felt like the best long term solution is still a new K-12 building when you compare costs,” he said.
“Weighing out the options, they felt like while the cost is going up some, it’s always still cheaper to build today than it is tomorrow.”
Cooper agreed. He said he recognized the impact inflation and higher gas prices have on residents, but still believes the new building project is the best option.
“I just feel that the time is right now to do this project,” he said. “This project will never be any cheaper.”
Cooper also said if Lucas doesn’t secure local funding for the project by Jan. 1, 2023, the state funding match will be in jeopardy. He said state officials told the board the OFCC match amount will likely be reduced next year due to the district’s rising property values.
J.C. Benton, public relations manager for the OFCC, couldn’t confirm Lucas’ state share will drop, but said the percentage of a facilities project the state will fund does fluctuate from year to year.
According to Benton, each district’s state funding share is determined by its “equity rank.” The Ohio Department of Education calculates equity ranks each fall based on a district’s assessed property valuation divided by the number of students. The lower a district ranks, the lower its local cost share.
Once a district has an agreement from OFCC for capital funding, local and state share percentages are set, even if a district’s equity rate changes in the future. But in order to keep that locked-in rate, a school district has to secure its share of local funding quickly.
“When a district is offered funding, they have 13 months to pass a bond or otherwise generate their portion of the funding,” Benton said.
If Lucas fails to pass a bond issue or otherwise secure funding within the 13-month timeframe, it will be considered a “lapsed” district.
“If they pass a bond and raise their local share (after the 13 months), they reclaim their spot in line,” Benton said. “In fact, a lapsed district that passes a bond is prioritized over non-lapsed districts. However, the district’s equity ranking likely has changed, impacting the amount of the state share.”
Board Vice President Roger Maglott disagreed with fellow board members. He was the only board member to vote ‘no’ on putting the bond issue back on the ballot. (Board member Amy Cuthbertson was absent during the meeting.)
“The first time around, the president said ‘We’ll run it once and see what the people want,'” he said. “We clearly saw what the people want.”
Maglott said other board members lacked the backbone to vote the issue down. He added that he’d like to see the students get a new facility too, but he feels the community simply can’t afford it.
He also expressed concerns about the board’s decision to hire David Conley of Rockmill Financial Consultant Services. According to Maglott and board meeting minutes from June 21, Conley advises the board on financing facilities projects.
The board previously signed a contract with the district from Sept. 1, 2021 to May 4, 2022 with an annual fee of $26,600. The board approved a second contract with Rockmill last month, with an identical annual fee, which ends on Election Day.
Board members Cooper, Amity Arnold and Wayne Camp voted in favor.
Maglott voted no. Both Herman and Cooper pushed back against rumors the district could be dissolved if the bond issue doesn’t pass. Herman said the district is “financially healthy” and both the school board and administrators are committed to Lucas Local Schools.
“I got asked that question multiple times,” Herman said. “We are a small district so when you think about that I think you’re always a little bit nervous about how you sustain it. But that is not a topic the board or myself has addressed with other districts or the Ohio Department of Education.
“We’re all committed to keeping Lucas Local Schools as long as we can.”
Cooper also said there’s been no talk of dissolving the district.
“I’m not sure where that rumor comes from,” he said. “The only discussion has been ‘We have to do something about our facilities, whether it’s to build new or fix the old.’
“We all know what the cost to fix the old is,” he added. “I encourage everybody to get registered to vote and to vote in November.”
