At an Oct. 4 meeting to discuss future building needs, board members said it will likely be at least May 2020 before the district is ready to return to voters with another request for construction dollars.
TRENDING: Vectren gas line problem prompts door-to-door repair work in Dayton
In the meantime, discussions will include talks with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission on possible cost sharing. The OFCC provides oversight and construction management services on capital projects for public K-12 schools, and has a cost-matching formula based on school income.
The state’s share for a district project reportedly has increased since 2017, but the percentage has not been confirmed, said Jeff Price, district treasurer. The 2017 proposal included 33 percent state money.
Among topics the board will need to address in the near future is whether to buy the property off Ohio 55 as a possible building site. An option on the land expires at the end of 2018.
The board and new district Superintendent Chris Piper discussed several options at the Oct. 4 meeting, including a plan to reduce the number of elementary school buildings. The district now has six elementary buildings along with a sixth-grade building at Van Cleve, the former district high school.
TRENDING: Gusty winds expected with possible snow mix later tonight
Under one scenario, the district would construct four buildings for pre-kindergarten through grade six. Three of them would house pre-kindergarten through grade four, and one would include fifth- and sixth-graders.
The discussions did not include any new construction for the junior high and high school buildings.
Reducing the total number of buildings in the district would help keep the project affordable, according to the board.
“The vast majority assume if we keep a neighborhood school, it will be their neighborhood school,” board member Tom Kleptz said.
Preliminary work on possible sites has included discussions with the city of Troy about park district or city owned land next to the Hook, Concord, Heywood and Cookson elementary schools. Among concepts explored was combining city park and current school land to create larger sites for possible building locations. The properties at Kyle, Forest and the Van Cleve buildings do not also have city property.
MORE: Downtown Dayton to get no-cost buses
Mayor Mike Beamish said last week the city is willing to work with the schools.
“We’ve always had a good partnership between the schools and the city. I like to think this has been reinforced over the years,” Beamish said. “My feeling is we can keep all the options open.”
Piper said various facilities concepts will be among the discussions when he holds a series of coffees with the community this year. The district is also putting together a strategic plan this school year.
“I think there is going to be a lot of community conversation before we put anything on the ballot,” said board member Ginny Beamish.
Kleptz agreed. “We admit ours wasn’t the right answer (2017 proposal),” he said. “We looked, and here’s a compromise.”
About the Author