Mathews board mulls financing buildings

BY JORDAN COHEN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

VIENNA — Mathews Board of Education is putting the finishing touches on plans to submit a bond issue before the voters in November that will finance $22.5 million in school construction.

The board hopes to build one school to house kindergarten through 12th grade on the site currently occupied by Baker Elementary School. The new structure would replace all four of the district’s buildings: Baker, Currie and Neal Elementary Schools, and Mathews High School. The fate of those buildings has yet to be determined.

Current school district enrollment is 900.

The board has set a tentative millage of 9.87 to finance the bond issue, but emphasized that the figure could actually go lower.

“We have applied for zero-interest school-construction bonds so the cost of construction could be less if the state approves,” said Superintendent Lee Seiple. He said it was unlikely the state would approve the entire request, but any amount awarded would lessen the millage.

“Even if the state does not approve the zero-interest bonds, our millage will not go higher than 9.87,” said board member David Wise.

The board hopes to learn the status of its request by July 15 when it holds the first of two special meetings to pass resolutions that would place the issue on the November ballot. The second meeting has been scheduled for Aug. 13.

Seiple said the district cannot rely on funding help from the Ohio School Facilities Commission until at least 2015. The reason is that the district is viewed as having a stronger financial base than Niles, which was able to secure more than 70 percent of its construction money last year through the OFSC.

“In the way the state defines wealth of a school district, they consider us wealthy,” said board member Robert Thompson.

The superintendent said if voters approve the bond in November, it would take about a year to prepare and approve architectural plans and two more years for building construction. That would mean the new building could be completed by 2013.

In another financial item, the board decided to delay submitting a 7.9-mill renewal levy in November. Members said they were concerned that the renewal along with the bond issue would be “overwhelming to the voters.” The renewal will be placed on the ballot next year.