MANSFIELD — Hold on to your hard hats. Mansfield City Schools might be looking to build a new elementary school.
The Mansfield City Schools Board of Education voted Tuesday evening to conditionally approve the district’s participation in the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s Classroom Facilities Assistance Program.
The OFCC is a state agency that helps school districts improve and replace aging facilities by partnering with eligible school districts and providing state funding for approved projects.
Tuesday’s resolution allows the OFCC to finalize how much it would contribute towards a facilities project. The resolution did not include a final project, facility design, construction timeline or local funding plan.
Supt. Stan Jefferson said no final decisions have been made about what a future project could look like. That includes where a school might be located or which grades it would serve.
“This is an exciting opportunity, but we also want our community to understand exactly where we are in the process,” Jefferson said in a written press release.
“Tonight’s action does not approve a facilities project or finalize any building plans. Rather, it signals the Board’s interest in continuing the planning process with the OFCC to better understand what a future partnership could mean for Mansfield City Schools.”
Board member Jennifer Kime and facilities director Bob Booth both confirmed that even if the district does build a new elementary school, the Springmill STEM and Spanish Immersion programs will continue.
District said state will cover 96 percent of project costs
District officials said the OFCC has indicated it is prepared to contribute up to 96 percent of the eligible cost of a potential project, with a maximum state contribution of $56,864,926.
In order to access that funding, Mansfield City Schools would need to chip in its local share of project costs — potentially as much as $2.37 million.
After Tuesday’s vote, the OFCC and state controlling board will need to vote to approve funding for the project, according to OFCC’s Chief of Public Affairs Hayley Carducci.
“The district will then have 120 days to sign the Certification of Conditional Approval and will have 16 months to raise their local share,” Carducci said via email.
Jefferson said the district is going to do everything it can to fund its local share with existing funds, rather than putting a new bond issue on the ballot.
Treasurer Tammy Hamilla said the district receives a little less than $1 million a year in permanent improvement funds — tax revenue that was voted on by residents and can only be used for long-term improvements like new buildings and facility maintenance.
Jefferson said the district is committed to keeping staff, families and the community informed as more information becomes available.
“Our focus is ensuring our students have safe, modern learning environments that support teaching and learning for generations to come,” Jefferson said.
Mansfield City Schools pursued a similar project in 2024
This isn’t the first time in recent history that Mansfield City Schools looked at building a new elementary school. The district announced its intention to do so in 2024, but stopped after the OFCC reversed course, district leaders said.
Board President Chris Elswick credited state Sen. Mark Romanchuk with addressing that issue at the Statehouse.
“We reached out to Mr. Romanchuk, who’s always been supportive of our school system. Always, he went to work, and here we are,” Elswick said.
Romanchuk said the OFCC was cooperative in pursuing a legislative fix.
“We got OFCC — to their credit — to admit that there was an issue with the way their procedures were written and we changed it,” Romanchuck said. “Because of that change and their willingness to come forward and help make this change, we’re done and it’s going to benefit other districts too down the road.”
