Fairborn schools to have levy request on November ballot for new buildings

Passage of this 5.83-mill bond issue/levy in November will generate about $33 million for the future construction of a new high school and a new middle school. Then, a new middle school will be able to be built through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELLP).

For the owner of a $120,000 home, Superintendent Gene Lolli said the 5.83-mill issue/levy will cost about $17 more a month, or about $200 a year.

If the bond issue is approved, the school district would first build a new high school, Lolli said. Then a new middle school would be built, with middle school students using the current high school building during construction. Lolli said the district surveyed families in the community to see which school building they would want built first.

The new high school would cost about $72 million to build.

Last November, the board of education approved a resolution for an option to buy property for the new high school east of Interstate 675. If the bond passes in November, the school district would buy that land for $3.5 million. Bond votes are a one-time decision to pay off school construction costs over a 37-year period.

The 86-acre site sits between Commerce Center Boulevard and Interstate 675, south of Garland Avenue.

As part of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), the ELLP program allows the Fairborn City Schools District to continue work on the master plan and provide credit at a later date to build a new middle school.

The ELPP permits school districts that are more than two years away from eligibility for state assistance under the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) to receive an assessment and master facility plan from the OFCC.

The commission will assess the classroom facility needs of participating school districts and, along with the school district, develop a district wide master facilities plan. The school district can spend any local resources, including the proceeds of bonds, to complete part of the overall master facility plan that is either new construction or a major renovation.

Fairborn’s participation in ELPP was approved at the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission meeting on June 25.

If voters approve the bond, Fairborn will have all new schools in the district.