Claymont schools consider building consolidation amid enrollment drop

Amid declining enrollment and uncertainty over the future of property taxes as a funding source, the Claymont Board of Education is reviewing a proposal to shrink the number of buildings the district operates.

The recommendation from the administration is to close the intermediate school in Dennison, move the eighth grade from the middle school in Uhrichsville to the high school and fourth and fifth grade students would attend class at the middle school.

The district is also considering construction of an addition to the high school and converting it into a sixth through 12th grade building. Once the project is finished, then the board will have to make a decision on whether to keep the primary building on Eastport Avenue or the elementary building on Trenton Avenue.

Superintendent Brian Rentsch said district officials began discussing the situation early last year. He noted that Claymont allocates $400,000 each year to fix buildings and purchase things that have a lifespan of more than five years.

The district tries to buy a new school bus every other year, and buses now cost between $150,000 and $170,000.

“Of our $400,000 budget, almost half of that is eaten up in a school bus, and we try to rotate one every other year. So, $400,000 doesn't go a long way when you have to put a bunch of repairs into buildings,” he said.

Claymont has seen a decrease in the number of its students. In September 2024, the district had 1,631 students. The current total is 1,521 students.

Rentsch attributed the decline to open enrollment, vouchers from the state that make it affordable to attend private schools and the declining population of the Twin Cities.

At the same time, the Ohio General Assembly has passed several measures on property tax reform that will impact the district. In addition, a group is pushing a Constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes in the state. School districts get most of their funding from property taxes.

To pay for construction of an addition at the high school, the board of education last year voted to move its 4.2 mills of inside millage from using it for operating expenses to permanent improvements. Inside millage is property tax guaranteed to local governments by the Constitution and is not voted on.

The project will cost no more than $17 million and will not be finished before the end of the 2027-2028 school year.

However, the district cannot move forward with the project at the moment. Last year, the Tuscarawas County Budget Commission denied Claymont’s request to move the inside millage. The district appealed, and the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals sided with Claymont. The budget commission appealed the state’s ruling, and the issue is now before the 10th District Court of Appeals.

In February, administration officials challenged the board to take action.

“It's tough decisions that need to be made, and the longer you postpone those tougher decisions, the worse it gets financially for the school district ultimately. We're not looking at reducing the teaching staff. We have done some moves with attrition,” Rentsch said.

He said he expects a board decision at its March 31 meeting.

The superintendent noted that for government organizations to do what the public expects, such as fixing potholes, it takes money. “If you don't have money to fix your potholes, what else are you going to do? But everybody wants that pothole fixed, but doesn't want to help pay for getting that pothole fixed. So, we're relying on the public to appreciate what they have and support what they have.”

Rentsch pointed out that Claymont puts out a good product. He cited the fact that Gov. Mike DeWine mentioned Claymont in his State of the State address March 10.

The governor, touting the ReadOhio coaching program, highlighted Claymont Primary School as a Science of Reading success story. When this school year started, only 14% of kindergarten students there were on track with reading skills for their age. Then, their teachers began working with a ReadOhio coach. When students were assessed again in the winter, 50% of kindergarten students were on track with reading skills.

“We're putting out a product that is getting accolades from the state, but we still have a lot of bumps in the road that we can't get filled,” Rentsch said.