Wooster schools consider levy for new building

While no action was taken on facilities at the Tuesday, Feb. 17 Wooster City Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Gabe Tudor was encouraged about the discussion on the topic.

“This is not an easy conversation; this is hard work,” Tudor said to the board members. “You guys are doing a really good job of trying to be thoughtful about this while at the same time urgency continues to build because of various reasons. I appreciate that.”

Tudor encouraged the board to continue to have good discussion on the issue at next month’s regular meeting March 17.

Several board members preferred putting a levy on the ballot to allow residents to decide on the future of the school district’s facilities.

“I think we need to have a levy to have local voters behind the concept of funding their local schools,” new board member Clayton Deighan said.

“I agree that we have to get the community behind a plan,” said Jody Starcher, board president. “I know that is hard, and there are a lot of challenges with that, but we have to think about all of our aging buildings and do what is best long-term for our students, so I am leaning toward the K-5 building as the best option.”

Starcher also favored a levy because it would continue to engage the community.

Building a new K-5 building was one of several options Tudor presented to the board during the November and December regular board meetings. Facilities weren’t discussed at the January meeting to allow Deighan and the other new board member, Bonnie Nair, to settle into the board before tackling the difficult topic.

Other options Tudor presented were a new building for third grade to fifth grade, using modulars or making major repairs to Cornerstone Elementary School, which is the district’s oldest building at more than 100 years old.

“Cornerstone is the primary discussion point, but it’s not the only factor in the conversation,” said Tudor, who added he will put money into major repairs at Cornerstone if that’s what the board wants. “The needs of that building continue to be significant, are costly and they are impacting the educational environment.”

With more interest from the board at the November meeting on building than renovating, particularly with Cornerstone, Tudor focused more on how to fund a new building at the December meeting, comparing the pros and cons between a levy or paying for it through a loan, which doesn’t need voter approval. He reviewed that discussion at the Feb. 17 meeting.

“I’m fine with whatever the board decides,” said Rik Goodright, board vice president, “as long as we do something.”

The past several months, Tudor has told the board the district’s facilities need to be addressed sooner than later, not only because of the mounting issues at Cornerstone, but also if the district wants to receive co-funding (approximately 31% of the cost) from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for a new building plan, which would lapse in November.

Tudor said the district could reapply for OFCC funding if it doesn’t use it by November, but that would probably mean a two-year delay, and there’s no guarantee it would be approved for co-funding again.

If the board wants to put a levy on the November ballot, it will need to have two readings at board meetings before July, Tudor said.

“Hopefully, whatever we decide to do is what the community wants to support, and we move forward,” Tudor said. “But at the same time, there’s going to continue to be some good discussion.”