Two districts get approval for bonds

Austintown and Weathersfield school districts, each with bond issues on the November ballot, have been approved for interest-free bonds for school construction by the Ohio School Facilities Commission, along with Mathews.

Austintown was awarded the same amount as Mathews — more than $3.23 million in zero-interest bonds. Austintown will be submitting a 2.9-mill levy to fund $27 million for construction of two elementary schools. The actual cost of the project exceeds $50 million, but the OSFC is paying the balance above the local share.

Weathersfield was granted more than $1.1 million in interest-free bonds toward construction of a new middle school and a conversion of Seaborn Elementary to kindergarten through eighth grade. The $6 million local share of the project would be funded by a 1.8-mill levy.

Voters rejected a similar issue in May.

In all, the OSFC awarded $100 million in interest-free notes to 38 school districts.

Austintown and Mathews received the maximum allocations.