$80M plan proposed

HURON — A plan to radically change Huron's school buildings is in the works. A district-sponsored committee has been tasked with creating a plan for the Huron Schools' buildings. Most notably, the committee — comprised of community members, which include parents of current students — made its recommendations at a March board meeting. The group recommended that the district: • Renovate Woodlands Elementary School and Huron High School; There were no plans to alter McCormick Middle School. • Redesign some spaces for new uses, like multi-use studio classroom spaces and more storage • Construct new building add-ons at both campuses to allow movement to a two-campus system. The new space will include classrooms, administration offices, auditoriums and athletic spaces of an auxiliary gym, locker room and weight room. The plan, which hinges on school board approval, would require an affirmative vote from Huron-area voters to proceed. Committee members believe this plan requires $80 million to fully execute. What does the district want? Huron Schools has been in the process of improving its district buildings for years with the help of outside architecture and finance groups. A full timeline of events is available on the district website under the District Offices' District Facilities tab. The timeline dates back to 2021, but last June officials tabled the discussion of the buildings and financing the project. The board decided they were not ready to ask the community for financial support in the form of a levy on the November 2024 ballot. Instead of a ballot issue, officials changed the conversation to discuss the creation of a committee. The difference between then and now is that the prior plan was primarily developed by the district administration and the current propsoal was created by the community-led committee effort. "It is a scope of work that the committee members feel meets the needs of the students and adds value to the community," superintendent James Tatman said. "It includes elements that offer direct benefits to the community at large, even those residents without students in the district." Two members of the committee, Dan Humphrey and Amber Solomon, presented some of its findings at the March meeting. Humphrey said the committee has future meetings planned to continue its efforts. The committee was broken down into sub-committees to focus on funding, current facilities, future spaces, marketing, parent and voter registration and one focusing on McCormick Middle School. Each group has five members for a total of 30 members overall involved in the facility discussions. The committee narrowed down on "the most realistic" plan for the district's future. Humphrey said he is the father of two students in the district; one graduate and one sophomore. He knows the plan he is working on might not directly affect his children, but it will impact others in the community including Solomon, who has four students in the district ranging from second to eighth grade. "This is the heart of our community. Huron Schools sits kind of in the middle and it's the heartbeat," Humphrey said. "It's great that we have passionate members that represent all walks of life and all ages." Where will the money come from? Tatman said the committee's design supports students' instruction and extracurricular activities as well as the general community's use. "The deep dive in study by the community committee members best reflects the needs of the community," Tatman said. "This is a fiscally mindful plan that (meets) the educational needs of students while providing the community at large enrichment as well." Tatman stressed that the plan is only conceptual and not yet finalized. He said the committee thinks it would be smart to secure funding before taking time and resources to detail the design. "The community facility committee has worked hard to explore various design options and recognize that with any design voter supported funding will be required," Tatman said. "The considered scope of work provides enough framework to explain what voters can anticipate with a successful ballot issue." The district will use dollars coming from various sources to fund this $80 million project: • A voted bond issue will provide $68.5 million. "For the average home in Huron, this equals $35 a month," Tatman said. • $3.5 million will come from cash derived from other sources, like the sale of Shawnee Elementary School. • $8 million can be funded through a Certificate of Participation loan on the district's current permanent improvement fund, Tatman said. This type of funding is the same used in 2002 for the Woodlands Elementary School addition which was paid off last year. The committee will continue to outline the project's details while it waits for the board of education to decide if the district will join the November ballot. To make the issue official, two resolutions must be passed and sent to the county auditor. The first resolution will be recommended at the April 28 board meeting. Other meeting news • Also at the meeting was a first reading of several new and revised district policies, including the Released Time for Religious Instruction policy. This policy was eliminated from the district in August last year while community members debated the policy, used by religious groups — most notably, the Christian organization LifeWise. Some argued there is no problem with religious organizations taking students out of school to learn, while others believe it does harm to these students and their peers who do not participate. This past meeting was the first reading of the policy. But Huron, and all other school districts in the state, must adopt a religious release policy, per the passage of Ohio House Bill 8. "Through discussion, additional research and revisions to the policy will be made for a second reading in April," Tatman said. "The board can take action to adopt in April or continue discussions and study (and push) its adoption to a future meeting." • The board also discussed transportation for the 2025-26 school year. Huron Schools took away busing for the high school after it faced two failed levies in 2021. After this, the district did offer select students, high schoolers with a qualifying hardship, the amenity. "Hardships" were identified through truancy and attendance services or by parent and guardian request, Tatman said. For the 2025-26 year, the district is restoring busing as an option for students who live more than one mile away. "This restores high school busing while allowing us to provide busing services in the current structure of route times and school day times," Tatman said. "(It is the) least disruptive and most cost-effective way to address the need."