What Would an OSFC Project Provide the District?
An Ohio School Facilities Commission, OSFC, project would complete a total renovation of our school district facility. By doing so, the state will pay for 71% of the cost of the OSFC project. Our community would pass a bond issue to pay for the remaining 29% of the OSFC project. Therefore, the district would only have to pay about 9.4 million dollars for over 32 million dollars in renovations and new construction.
The Board of Education and school district personnel have spent over two years researching our options and meeting with the community to determine what makes the most financial sense for the school district and our community. The OSFC project was determined best to meet our repair and instructional needs. Matching money currently available from the state coupled with historically low interest rates will allow the district to make the required improvements while maximizing the return on our investment.
This renovation project will bring our nearly 25-year-old facility up to current standards. It will replace facility components that are outdated or at the end of their life expectancy, and will improve instructional resources for students. This will also address our costly maintenance items that are in urgent need of replacement including:
• Replacing our leaking roof and dry-rotted windows.
• Replacing our obsolete and inefficient heating and air-conditioning systems.
• Bringing our current well and water-system up to current EPA standards
• Ensuring our schools meet minimum state guidelines for technology and security.
• Providing an additional 28,000 square feet of instructional space to address undersized spaces and removal of modular classrooms
Additional LFIs (Locally Funded Initiatives) have also been considered by the district to address areas of improvement not covered by the OSFC. These areas are:
| New auxiliary/middle school gym |
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| Renovated MS/HS cafetorium and food service to improve lunch schedules |
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| Expanded elementary cafeteria to improve lunch schedules |
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| Improved traffic separation of student, parent, staff, and bus traffic on campus for |
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| Second drive to Hwy 68 for improved access |
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| Increased current classrooms sizes/learning space |
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| Single main entry/doors to the building for improved security. |
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| Improved Art/Music rooms/space |
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| Designated Parent Drop off entrance |
Funding Options
The Board has been considering on how best to finance a project. Since the current funding being generated from the district's general and Permanent Improvement (PI) funds is not enough to meet all of our maintenance and improvement needs, a bond levy is likely the best option to cover these costs. The board could ask for a bond to be paid for by property tax, income tax, or a combination of both. The Board would like feedback on how best to approach this option.
