LOUDONVILLE — Roger Stitzline, Kari Reidenbach and Molly Kahn, co-chairs of a group advocating for a new Loudonville-Perrysville school, say this year’s choice is a high-stakes gamble. speak
In their estimation, the success or failure of securing a new school is directly tied to the future of Loudonville Village.
“Right now, it’s not a comfortable, conductive educational environment,” Leidenbach said. “But the important thing is that schools are our lifelines. Without schools, there is no community.”
The bond issue carries a price tag of $53.5 million, which taxpayers will pay back over 37 years. This works out to be $341 per $100,000 of county auditor assessed value.
The total cost of the new construction project is $71 million, with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) committing $15,681,130. Combined with the share paid by OFCC, the district will spend $2,306,493 on this project.
Voters will also be asked to pass an additional property tax levy aimed at funding permanent improvements. The levy would amount to $145,000 annually at $18 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
How to vote
Voters in Ashland, Holmes, Knox and Richland counties will have the opportunity to weigh in on bonds and levies in Loudonville-Perrysville County.
Early voting begins Oct. 8, and voters can cast their ballots at county election boards. You can find your county’s election board on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website at https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/early-voting/.
Voting day is November 5th. Voters must vote in their precinct and designated polling place. Voting hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Polling locations can also be found on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website at https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/.
The Loudonville-Perrysville Board of Education approved a resolution to place the bond fee and levy on the ballot at its July meeting.
But Stitzlein said efforts to get voter approval for the new building have been going on for a long time.
brief history
All of Loudonville-Perrysville’s current facilities were built over 50 years ago. This high school is the newest high school built in 1964. CE Budd School opened in 1926 and McMullen School opened in 1954.
Stitzline, the former CEO of Loudonville Farmers Equity, said he has worked on three separate efforts over the past 20 years to issue bonds to pay for a new school in Loudonville. spoke. But costs have risen since previous attempts at new buildings.
Mr. Stitzlein said that, along with Mr. Leidenbach and Mr. Kahn, the bond and levy advocates did not initially intend to build new schools.
In 2023, a group was formed to develop a master facilities plan for the district. Mr. Reidenbach, Human Resources Partner at Charles River. Khan, director of nursing at Galion Avita Health System. and Stitzline were all part of that process.
Jennifer Allarding said the group included 45 community members, including farmers, business owners and parents.
“It was important to consider all perspectives and provide an opportunity to collaborate to develop a solution,” said Allarding.
When the group looked at several different options for what the future might look like, it found that it would cost about the same to repair the current building as it would to build an entirely new school.
They considered several options and presented their findings to the community through a meeting in April, followed by recommendations to the school board.
…School is our lifeline. Without school, there is no community.
Kari Leidenbach, Co-Chair, For LP Schools
Now, Mr. Stitzlein, Mr. Kahn and Mr. Leidenbach are holding events to speak to voters, make their case for the new building and share information. It also offers tours of the building so local residents can see the problem.
Their group “For LP Schools” has a website that answers frequently asked questions. The group’s Facebook page also advertises several upcoming events for voters to get more information about.
construction challenges
Allerding said the district spends a minimum of $509,000 a year to address maintenance and facilities issues. The district has a permanent improvement levy in place to address these issues, which voters reauthorized earlier this year.
Still, Allarding said the district had to spend more on maintaining the facility than the permanent improvement tax would bring.
“In 2023-2024 alone, we had to relocate classrooms at Budd Elementary School for two weeks due to a broken sewer line. experienced minor flooding twice. A structural engineer had to be brought in to assess the second floor floor, which was cracking and falling, and LHS schools were closed due to broken water mains. “We had to close the school early due to extreme temperatures in classrooms,” Mr Allerding said.
The bottom line, Allarding said, is that the district’s facilities are at a stage where they need to be “more proactive.”
Allerding encouraged area residents with questions to visit the district’s website or attend an upcoming meeting to learn more.
She said there will be one on Oct. 10 at Perrysville Baptist Church and one on Oct. 28 at New Hope Community Church. Both meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
Allerding said the public will be invited to take future tours of the building. They will be held on the following dates:
Oct. 11 — Loudonville High School 9 a.m., CE Bad School 12 p.m., McMullen School 3 p.m. Oct. 21 — Loudonville High School 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22 — Bad School 6:30 p.m. 23rd — McMullen School 6:30 p.m.
Opposition
The “For LP Schools” group has been defending the bond and levy, but its cost has raised concerns among some voters.
It’s going to be tough and probably ruin a lot of people.
Jason Hellinger, Farmer
The school board heard farmer Jason Hellinger speak at its July 9 meeting. Mr. Hellinger commented on the impact of bonds and levies on the Agriculture Committee.
Hellinger, a third-generation farmer who lives in the district, told the board that the tax increase would be difficult for the farming community.
“It’s going to be tough and probably ruin a lot of people,” he said.
He added that he expects taxes to increase by several thousand dollars if the bond passes.
Mr. Stitzlein, Mr. Kahn, and Mr. Leidenbach acknowledged that these issues involve increased taxes. However, given current agricultural use values, the impact on farmers may not be as great as farmers expect, they said.
What is CAUV?
Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) applies to agricultural land dedicated to commercial agriculture. According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, CAUV allows land to be priced below market value as long as the land meets certain requirements.
For working farmers, CAUV means taxes can be less than the market value of their land. Farmers must apply for CAUV with their county auditor.
Mr. Stitzlein encouraged area farmers concerned about taxes to consider whether their farms qualify for CAUV.
Even if it comes with increased costs, Khan argues that those costs are manageable, especially when the stakes are so high.
“We have to pay it to the next generation,” Khan said. “…I want to make sure that that money goes back to the next generation because I may have future grandchildren who attend this district.
“That’s what community is. Even if you’re not using it, if someone in your community is using it, it takes care of someone in your community, and it makes your community stronger.” And it’s part of health, and you support it.”
This independent, field reporting provided by members of Report for America Corps is brought to you through the generous support of the Ashland County Community Foundation.
