BELLVILLE, Ohio — Clear Fork Local Valley Schools hosted three public meetings recently to inform residents about elementary school building options and to garner feedback from area voters.
An estimated 400 residents turned out for the meetings held at three locations around the district. A recent survey indicated residents want newer elementary facilities.
Superintendent Janice Wyckoff said the district’s goal is to provide the best “learning environment” for their elementary students. Residents supported that goal but said they are also concerned about the impact the building options might have on Butler and Bellville.
The options vary in both the basic construction and associated costs, issues the district attempted to explain in more detail to potential voters.
Smaller buildings and class size
School officials say their first concern is the educational environment in the elementary system. When asked from the audience whether a larger or smaller building is better, Wyckoff quickly answered, “Smaller is better.”
She explained that while students can receive a good education in larger schools, some students can “get lost” in the larger environment.
Parents said they value the smaller class sizes and the connection the schools have with their local community. Presented with the options of building in each community or one centralized elementary, community response seemed to suggest building on or near the present elementary school sites in Butler and Bellville is preferred.
Wyckoff said there is a narrow window of time for the board to act if the district wants the state to help fund two buildings.
Describing the construction options, SHP Leading Design project manager Josh Predovich said the state will only agree to “co-fund” a building if the enrollment is above 350. Currently, the state is looking at last year’s enrollment numbers but if the district doesn’t act by December they would look at this year’s elementary enrollment.
Butler is below 350 in enrollment and that number is expected to decline slightly in the future.
Butler Village Council member Wes Dingus said he feels the current locations of the school are safer. He noted a recent grant obtained by Butler through the “Safe Routes to School” program that was used to improve transportation safety.
Dingus also noted the closer proximity of law enforcement to the school buildings if something were to happen.
Community Impact
At stake for the villages of Butler and Bellville is the loss of income tax revenue if a single elementary school is chosen. The centralized site would be in Jefferson Township across from the current high school and middle school property.
Wyckoff says Butler receives $20,000 in income tax from the school and Bellville received $25,000.
The loss of income tax revenue would be “more than we can afford” said Bellville mayor Darrell Banks.
“We would have to cut services,” he said. The effect would be greater in Butler because the elementary is the largest employer in the village. “It would be devastating to Butler,” Banks said.
Butler officials suggested it could take away 20-30 percent of their revenue.
Some citizen in the audience expressed concern about potential job loss if the district consolidates the two elementary schools. While officials did not provide details, they suggested some custodial, maintenance, administrators or food service workers could be laid off.
One building is likely to cost less in basic construction and operation, but there are other costs to the district. Wyckoff said that if the option chosen is one building on the property across from the high school, busing costs would increase by $100,000 annually.
Residents also questioned the increased traffic in front of the high school if that option is chosen. Another site, known as Hamilton Hills, also raises transportation concerns.
Construction costs and income tax extension
The difference between building one and two new elementary building is about $1.3 million in basic construction costs. Other factors could drive up the costs but officials say the first two options could be largely covered by a 20 year extension of the current 1 percent earned income tax.
Option three, building a new high school and renovating the current high school for elementary use, did not receive much attention during the meetings.
Affecting the final price tag are site-associated costs such as building roads or bringing in utilities. Known as “locally funded initiatives” or LFI’s, it means the price could vary by several million. The district’s financial consultants say the costs can be covered mostly by the 14 million available for the project.
Other factors include upgrades in roofing, HVAC or building materials. Predovich said the State classifies construction quality as “good, better, or best.” “They will pay for good,” he said, “but higher quality materials or systems have to be paid for out of the local share.” Additional classroom space or an auditorium is also considered LFI’s.
Paying for the project will be a combination of the over $5 million set aside by the district, an extension of the earned income tax, and continued frugality in the district. Representatives from Rockmill insist the district is in an unusually good position for the built.
Survey results
Board members insist they want to hear from the public. A “work session” on Oct 27 will be open to the public. The meeting will be held at the Clear Fork High School at 7 pm. Tentative results from the surveys are expected and board members say they will discuss their next steps
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