Roundup: Perkins, Edison bond issues

Residents of two local school districts will decide what happens to each bond issue appearing on Tuesday's ballot. Each is seeking approval for new construction in the near future. Here's a roundup of both issues: Edison Schools: a 6.7-mill, 37-year bond issue for an $87 million construction project If approved, the bond issue would raise about $47 million in local money, toward the project's overall cost, to build two new schools and renovate Edison High School. "The remaining amount of the project would be paid for by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (a state agency) and revenue the district receives from the Nexus pipeline," a district informational flyer provided to taxpayers states. Additionally, if the bond issue is approved, property taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home will increase by about $235 a year, according to officials. Before putting the bond issue on the ballot, district board members, in April 2022, unanimously decided to construct: • A new school, for students in preschool through fifth grade, at the current Edison Middle School site in Berlin Heights • Another new building for grades 6-8 onto the existing Edison High School building in Milan Q&A In March, Edison Schools provided frequently asked questions — with their corresponding answers — in an informational flyer: Q: Why did the district decide to put a building issue on the ballot now? A: The district has been exploring the option of new school buildings since 2007. Since that time, costs have risen, and the state share of the costs has decreased. These two trends are likely to continue. The state share is expected to decrease again when the next calculation is released. Note no. 1: Edison Schools, in a recent informational flyer, explained that by starting the construction project process now, the district would secure a 27% share in state funding from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. Note no. 2: Financial support from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission is determined by a three-year adjusted per pupil valuation of the district. This relates largely to the property wealth of the district," the flyer states. "Because of the new Nexus pipeline, the district's valuation continues to increase. This means the amount of state support the district would receive for a construction project continues to decline." Q: How long would it take for the buildings to be ready for students? A: Predicting construction completion is challenging. But a period of two to three years from the start of the design phase to the end of construction is to be expected. Q: How do you decide what is included in each school? A: The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission follows the Ohio School Design Manual, which establishes a set of standards used when partnering with districts to construct schools. This is intended to ensure fairness and consistency from project to project. The design manual establishes a "base plan" that will be supported with state funds. This is referred to as the co-funded portion of the project. School building sizes and facilities are based on the number of students and the grade levels of the students housed within. Costs for additional requirements or options not included in the recommended Ohio Facilities Construction Commission base plan are fully funded by the district and not eligible for state funding. These are referred to as locally funded initiatives. Q: Does the proposed plan include locally funded initiatives? Why? A: Yes, many plans do. Sometimes the state facilities construction commission's "base plan" does not match the facilities a district currently has or the configuration a district desires. For example, a base plan may not provide the same number of classrooms or it may provide smaller spaces than a district needs. Q: What locally funded initiatives does the proposal include? Why? A: The proposed bond issue includes seven locally funded initiatives: • A project agreement to renovate non-state design manual spaces to current standards and energy standard specifications; Some current spaces at the high school are not included with a state facilities construction commission base plan. This would allow them to be renovated with the rest of the building. • Four additional preschool classrooms at the new elementary school; Preschool facilities are not state funded and fall to the community to fund. • A new sewer line at Edison High School; The current system will be replaced with a sewer line to account for the increased student population with the middle school addition. • About 15,000 square feet of integral space for academic use at Edison High School; According to the state facilities construction commission's calculations, the current high school is oversized because it includes spaces that the state commission would not include in a base plan. The district has to offset the cost of square footage above a base plan as a locally funded initiative. • An increase in the size of the gym at the elementary school from 4,700 square feet to 9,000 square feet; An elementary-sized 4,700-square-foot gymnasium would not accommodate the entire student body at the same time for events like assemblies. Increasing the size of the gym allows all students to fit. The increased size provides a full-size basketball court and seating for spectators. This makes the gym usable for athletic practices and events. • An increase in the size of the gym that would be part of the middle school addition to Edison High School from 7,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet; The increase in size would make the gym a high school-sized gym instead of a middle school-sized gym. This supports additional space for spectators. • A new board office; Depending on the future use of the Edison Elementary property, it may be necessary to construct a new board of education office. Q: How is the cost of the project broken down between locally funded initiatives and co-funded portions? A: The total cost of the project is estimated to be $87.3 million. Of that amount, about $73.7 million is co-funded with the state. The locally-funded initiatives represent a total of $13.6 million. Perkins Schools: a 6.7-mill, 37-year bond issue for a $76 million construction project. If approved by voters, the bond issue, also called Issue 2 on the ballot, will construct a new building for grades 6-12 and be repaid at a 5% interest rate during the 37-year period. If approved, the bond issue would increase property taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home by about $237 a year, district officials said. The board's decisions mean they agreed with what a facilities committee of district parents, educators, residents and others recommended: to construct separate new schools for grades 6-12 and P-5 based on feedback from taxpayers. In December, these recommendations from the committee were adopted for Perkins Schools' master plan: • Phase 1: Construct a new middle/high school building for grades 6-12 behind Firelands Health Stadium along Strub Road; Once it's finished, older students will move to their new school, and preschool through fifth-grade students would have classes at the current Perkins High School. • Phase 2: The district could tear down Briar Middle School and build a new school for P-5 students at Briar's current location. Or Furry Elementary, Briar Middle School and Meadowlawn Intermediate could be sold, demolished or repurposed. The $76 million bond issue will not cover this phase. If the bond issue is approved, then the design process would likely take about a year followed by roughly two years of construction. The Class of 2027 — this fall's incoming high school freshmen — would be the first class to graduate from the new 6-12 building, facilities committee members said. Perkins Schools cited its facilities as one of its most important priorities when officials created the district's strategic plan, for daily operations and future planning, which was adopted in January 2020. Discussions about Perkins' school buildings have increased in recent months because student enrollment is expected to decline from about 1,800 students in 2020 to about 1,750 students by 2030. Additionally, the educational facilities are aging, and the way students are being taught in classrooms is changing, school officials said. For instance, while Furry Elementary, Meadowlawn Intermediate and Briar Middle School were initially constructed in the 1950s and 1960s and added on to years after, Perkins High School's oldest portions were built in 1905 and 1934 with additions included through the 1950s to 1970s. Fanning Howey, an architectural firm that's assisted area districts like Margaretta Schools with facilities planning in recent years, provided construction cost estimates for the proposed buildings and was hired by board members and has guided the committee during the master plan process. Q&A In late March, Perkins Schools provided taxpayers with a frequently asked questions informational flyer with corresponding answers . Here are some of those responses: Q: Does the bond issue include any funds to renovate the high school for elementary students? A: Yes, Issue 2 includes some funding needed to make necessary updates and renovations to the existing Perkins High School so it can better accommodate our elementary grade students. This includes moving plumbing fixtures to lower heights, providing a fenced playground, replacing signage and minor work to walls and doors. Q: Why isn't the district partnering with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for matching funds from the state to help fund our building needs? A: Due to the amount of matching funds our district qualified for through the commission, only 7%, and the numerous state requirements that would add cost to the project, Perkins Schools and our facility advisory committee decided it was in the best interest of our students and community to not participate in the partnership with the state facilities construction commission. In addition, Perkins' wait time for reimbursement from the state, with participation in the state program, is estimated at 10 years if state leadership continues funding for the program. Q: What is the homestead exemption? Who qualifies for it? A: The homestead exemption allows qualifying low-income senior citizens and disabled Ohioans to reduce their property tax bills by exempting up to $25,000 of the appraised value of their homes from all local property taxes. Qualifying veterans may receive an exemption of up to $50,000. Application forms and more information are available on the Erie County auditor's website. Q: Why would we keep the current high school when it is the oldest building? A: It is true that the north end of Perkins High School dates back to 1905. However, that is just a small portion of the current building, and the most-recent facility additions and renovation work in the district have occurred at the high school. A team of engineers and experts also have determined that Perkins High School is considered to be our most structurally sound school building. In addition, its location allows for the vision of our facility advisory committee for a community-central, single-campus school location that recognizes and preserves Perkins' history to be realized. Q: Why are we building a middle/high school first? A: After much research and discussion with the community and experts, the facility advisory committee recommended this action to the Perkins board members. This plan will allow the largest amount of our current students to benefit from a new school, take advantage of our current building resources (by renovating the existing high school for younger students), and be the most cost-effective for taxpayers. A new PK-12 facility was also strongly considered but was deemed cost-prohibitive. _ Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood