JACKSON-MILTON School board OKs master plan that includes building

Voters will be asked to approve a levy to pay for the new building.
By TELA DURBIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NORTH JACKSON -- The Jackson-Milton School District took another step toward building a new pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school building.
The school board passed a resolution to accept the Ohio School Facilities Commission's master plan for the district with a 4-1 vote Thursday evening.
In January, the school board will try to pass a resolution to put an 11-mill levy to be spread over 25 years on the May primary ballot.
Passing the resolution allows the district to lock in the current costs of the project as well as the state's promise of $6.6 million to help fund the building. The local portion is about $14.8 million, with a total project cost exceeding $21 million.
The school district has two years to pass the levy to raise its share.
Cost would rise: Superintendent Buck Palmer said if the district does not pass the levy in two years, the state would re-evaluate the plan, and the cost would most likely rise.
"The longer we wait, the more expensive it would cost," Palmer said. "This is the most important issue our district faces right now -- our facilities. It will make a difference in terms of our academic success, our athletic success and the future of our community. We need to lift the reputation of our schools and our community in general."
Ernie Pellin, Jackson-Milton community member, agreed with the decision to go ahead with the project.
"Fifteen years ago, why did people go to Canfield -- new schools, new developments," Pellin said. "We need to draw people here. People who are building look for newer schools and a growing community. People don't want to move to a stagnant community."
At last month's board meeting, Palmer presented another option for the district that called for the abandonment of Jackson-Milton High School and the construction of a new high school with a wing for grades nine through 12 and a wing for grades six through eight.
That plan priced a new high school at about $11 million. The other proposal also advised the district to use the elementary school until $4 million in renovations could take place in about 10 years. A 6.1-mill levy was needed to initiate that plan.
Palmer said he met with a local steering committee concerning the schools earlier this month and its recommendation was to go with the initial master plan.
Retiring: In other business, the board said farewell to its president Harold Maynard and vice president Rob Vernon, who are retiring. Board member Sue Karash presented them with a plaque and thanked them for their service.
John Gulgas, the district's director of administrative services, spoke about the $60,000 OhioReads grant Jackson-Milton Elementary School received.
Guglas said the grant would be used to improve the school's literacy rate and proficiency scores.