The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) is providing the District the opportunity to participate in a co-funded renovation project for our facilities. The renovation project will total $43.6 million dollars. Under the OFCC proposal, the State would fund 75% of any renovation project (the State Share) and we would have to ask the taxpayers for 25% to fund the rest of the project (the Local Share). 

In order to fund the Local Share, the Board has placed a Bond Issue on the November 5, 2024 ballot. In addition, the Board has placed a mandatory levy on the ballot to support the maintenance of the newly renovated facilities.

What the proposed renovation includes

The district has worked with our architectural firm and the OFCC to develop our “Master Plan.” According to the Master Plan, the renovation work is extensive and will include the following:  

●        Replacement of Elementary Roof

●        Replacement of HVAC

●        Replacement of plumbing fixtures

●        Replacement of electrical systems

●        Replacement of doors and windows

●        Addition of a competition gymnasium

●        Renovation of career-technical education spaces

●        Replacement of and addition of parking lot

●        Addition of a district-wide sprinkler system

●        Replacement of lighting with motion activated, energy efficient LED lighting

●        Improvement of security features

●        Upgraded classroom furniture

●        Upgraded Technology throughout the district 

These improvements are projected to improve energy efficiency and create savings on utilities long term. These are improvements that will need to be performed in the future and the funding would otherwise need to come from the general fund, which is used for personnel costs and educational benefits for students.

How will the renovation project be funded?

Under the OFCC proposal, the State would fund 75% of any renovation project and we would have to ask the taxpayers for 25% to fund the rest of the project. This percentage does change over time based on property values and student enrollment data. Our local share (the amount our taxpayers would have to pay) has gone up each year for the past decade. Now that the district has entered into an ELPP agreement that local share can not go up for this project.

What is an ELLPP project?

Ohio’s Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP) is designed to give school districts not yet participating in Ohio’s co-funded Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) the opportunity to move ahead with portions of their facilities’ needs.

We used $1.7 million of our ESSER funds (federal Covid-related grants) on necessary high school roof and HVAC replacements. Those expenditures on the ELPP project are eligible for a credit when the district participates in CFAP, which lowers what we would have to ask the taxpayers for.  

What has the school done to work on this?

Eastern staff, board members, and students have worked with state board members, legislators, and multiple organizations across the state to introduce legislation, even having a bill introduced here at the school to increase funding for school facilities in Appalachian Ohio. Students and staff have gone to Columbus to meet with legislators and give testimony about the needs of our district. 

https://www.easternlocal.com/article/1141614

https://www.easternlocal.com/article/903450

 The district also completed an ELPP project ensuring that certain improvements made to our facilities prior to the levy would decrease the amount we would have to ask our community for while locking in the amount we would receive from the state for the planned renovation project. If the district’s voters approve the bond issue at the November 5, 2024 election that includes funding for the local share of the renovation project, the state will contribute approximately 75% of the renovation costs through the CFAP program. After the ELPP credit, the district’s local share of the CFAP renovation project is only 25% of the OFCC budget. 

The district has been planning for the renovation project by moving our preschool students on campus to receive new renovated classrooms, and it also boosts enrollment numbers and helps with square footage costs. Career tech classroom space also gets additional funding for renovation, and our district has added career tech pathways and classes in the 7-12 building.

How much is the total project?

$43.6 million dollars.  Our community would have to pay for $18.7 million of that total, of which $8.3 million is for the district’s CFAP local share of the renovation project.

Is this a replacement or renewal levy?

No, this is not a renewal or replacement levy. The district has not passed any new property taxes since voters approved a $1.6 million bond issue in 1996. The bond issue on the November 2024 ballot will be used to repay debt (referred to as bonds) issued to finance the renovation and competition gym projects described above. The money raised for the bond issue can only be spent for the authorized purposes appearing on the ballot; none of the funds can be spent on the district’s operating expenses.  The bond issue is also paired with a required half-mill permanent improvement levy to pay for a maintenance fund set-aside by OFCC (see below).

For how many years will the levy appear on our taxes?

Similar to how home mortgages are frequently repaid over a 30-year term, this bond issue would be repaid over a maximum term of 37 years. The district is borrowing for the maximum time period allowed under state law to keep the annual tax burden as low as possible. District leadership and their financial advisers will monitor opportunities to refinance the bonds after they are issued, which could potentially lower the interest expense and cost to taxpayers. 

Where does the State's portion of the money come from?

The state funding comes from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), formerly known as the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC). The OSFC was formed in May of 1997 and became OFCC when it merged with the Office of the State Architect in 2012. Money from the state is allotted yearly for school projects, and in August the district received its formal approval for participation in OFCC’s co-funded Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) if the district raises its local share of the CFAP project costs. The district’s voters would need to approve the bond issue on the November 5, 2024 ballot in order to provide the local funds necessary to receive the state funding from OFCC for the project. 

What happens to the $26 million in state funding if the levy does not pass?

The $26 million in state funding would go to another school district that is able to come up with their share of local funding.

How did the school come up with the dollar amount for the levy?

Most of the project is determined by OFCC’s master plan. Based on their evaluation, the cost of renovating the schools was determined and the state share was locked in based on the master plan. In addition to the master plan, locally funded initiatives, such as renovating more square footage than the state deems necessary based on enrollment and the competition gym, are a part of the project scope. The costs not outlined in the master plan have been estimated based on input from the district’s architect.

What will it look like on the ballot?

(1) Issue bonds for the purpose of renovating, improving and expanding existing school facilities, including under a program of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission; constructing school facilities, including constructing a new competition gymnasium and upgrading athletic facilities; furnishing and equipping the same; and improving the sites thereof in the principal amount of $18,765,000, to be repaid annually over a maximum period of 37 years, and levy a property tax outside the ten-mill limitation, estimated by the county auditor to average over the bond repayment period 7.79 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $273 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, to pay the annual debt charges on the bonds, and to pay debt charges on any notes issued in anticipation of those bonds?

(2) Levy an additional property tax to provide funds for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, renovation, and financing of permanent improvements, that the county auditor estimates will collect $63,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 0.50 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $18 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for a continuing period of time?

Why will two levies appear on the ballot?

OFCC requires all school districts participating in the Classroom Facilities Assistance Plan (CFAP) to make annual deposits of one-half (0.50) mill of a district’s total tax valuation into a maintenance fund to pay for maintenance costs on the facilities improved under CFAP.  The idea is that this maintenance funding will allow the district to ensure OFCC's investment is being protected and maintained properly. The half-mill permanent improvement levy that is combined with the bond issue will satisfy OFCC’s maintenance requirement so that we can participate in CFAP and take advantage of the $26.5 million in state funding.

How much will it cost me?

The two levies combined (Building levy and required maintenance levy) will cost the taxpayer $291 a year for $100,000 of the auditor's appraised value of a home or 80 cents a day.    

For the average household in our district that would be $444.51 a year or $1.28 a day.  

For homeowners 65 and older that qualify for the homestead exemption, that is $214.13 per year for $100,000 of the county auditor's appraised value on a home or 59 cents a day.  

Remember this is the county auditor’s appraised value, not what a home may sell for. 

Can the district use this money for anything besides construction?

No, the taxes raised for the bond issue can only go towards repaying the bonds (principal and interest).  The half-mill permanent improvement levy will primarily be set aside for maintenance costs as required by OFCC.

Why doesn't the district build new?

Based on enrollment projections and what the state would offer, we would have to tear down the 7-12 building and add an addition to the Elementary. The addition based on square footage and what the state would fund would have 12 fewer classrooms than we currently have, no stage, no cafeteria, and a smaller gym than we currently have, and we would only have two gyms instead of three for about the same cost to the taxpayers as a renovation and addition of a competition gym and athletic facilities.

Are there upgrades to athletic facilities?

Yes. The addition of a competition gym with indoor and outdoor locker rooms and centralized concession stand would be a part of the project.  

Other athletic renovations would not be part of the initial project, but funding currently used to maintain and replace outdated infrastructure could be used for student opportunities in all aspects including athletics. 

Why add a gym?

Our gyms are the single most used facilities we have on campus from before school, during school, and late into the evening year-round, and much of the year our students lose out on opportunities to use the gym because it is consistently booked up by other teams, student groups, or community groups.   

The decision to add the gymnasium to the scope of the project was based on a great deal of community feedback.  Our school gymnasiums are the most used spaces in our schools.  The gyms are frequently used before school.  During the day for physical education classes and inside recess during inclement weather.  

All students participate in physical education classes in the two gymnasiums, which are frequently interrupted or canceled due to the use of the gyms for state testing, awards ceremonies, veterans presentations, graduation, concerts, plays, prom, homecoming, blood drives, PTO events, pep rallies, book fairs, reading and math fairs, career fairs, archery competitions, banquets held for sports, band, science olympiads and many others, as well as other community events and fundraisers such as concerts, and organizational events for alumni and class reunions. The gym also hosts funerals and remembrances for community members whose families want them remembered for some of their happiest times here at Eastern.   

The gyms continue to be used immediately after school where after school educational programs like Kids on Campus and our Bobcat Eagle Clubs use the gyms if available for physical activity, and other projects.  Then, our athletic teams use the facility until late into the evening.  Both of our gyms are booked up months in advance and students from our district sometimes have to go far away to practice and pay to go to these other gyms.  Many of our outdoor sports such as football, baseball, softball, and track have to cancel practices or run in hallways during inclement weather because the gyms are already booked up. The new gym would also allow us to have youth practices and events in the gyms at more convenient hours. Currently, youth teams get limited gym time at late evening hours or not at all, because of Varsity, JV, 7th, and 8th grade games and practices. Having an additional gym will allow more flexibility for all events and youth and community activities. 

An additional gym would also allow more possibilities for hosting youth and varsity sporting events and tournaments from basketball, volleyball, wrestling, archery, and cheer among others. The additional space would give access to outside travel organizations that many of our students play on to utilize the facilities more often for practices and tournaments which will also help generate more revenue for the various departments involved. The additional space would allow for the ability for outdoor sports such as baseball, softball, football, track and field, and cross country to practice inside in inclement weather which is currently difficult to do with two gyms.

Additional gym space would also allow more community and school organizations to utilize gym space for fundraisers such as the craft fair, fall carnival, and various dinners without interrupting physical education classes, and sporting events and practices.

The plan for the gym would also be to provide new updated locker rooms for all indoor sports and football, which would accommodate a place for wrestling and cheerleading to practice. 

The plan for the gym also includes a concession stand that would serve both 7th and 8th grade as well as Varsity and JV indoor and outdoor sporting events. Having this would save the athletic boosters a great deal of time and manpower moving resources which currently have to be moved from at minimum three locations to serve different events. The new gym would hopefully localize these locations to a single spot helping with work load and increasing profits for the athletic department. Music boosters, archery, and other organizations would also be able to utilize the consolidated space to support their concessions at their events, helping their work loads and profits as well. The new gym would also help with the cost of ticket takers and other paid staff for athletic events because the 7th, 8th, JV, and Varsity indoor sports would be in a central location. 

The additional space would also allow for flex space throughout the renovation to allow classes to continue while the renovations take place to prevent the school from investing valuable dollars on the cost of modular units to house students while classrooms are renovated. 

What about the parking lot?

The construction of the gym would eliminate some of the student parking lot. This parking lot would be replaced by additional parking where the outdoor basketball court is currently and possibly an additional parking lot on the lower level next to the septic system in an area not currently used.

Is this the best time to do a project?

The state offered us funding for this project in 2013 and the school district deferred. At that time, the total project cost was roughly 18 million dollars and our local share was only 14% meaning we would have gone to the ballot for 2.5 million dollars. Our projected enrollment was estimated at 940 students at that time meaning we would have been funded for a far greater square footage amount than we are now.    

Currently, our local share is 25% and our projected enrollment is 746. Those numbers are not likely to change significantly meaning the share of the project that we would have to pay through local taxes continues to rise.

The district is now asking for 18.7 million and with inflation that cost will likely continue to rise, and there is no guarantee we would be funded for new construction any time soon. 

I thought we just built that Elementary?

The Elementary building was completed in 1998, making it 26 years old. The 7-12 building was renovated at that time.  This makes all the mechanicals in the district close to or past their end of life expectancy and in need of being replaced.

If the bond issue and levy fail, can we try again later on?

Under the program with OFCC, we have until December 23, 2025 to raise our local share for the CFAP project or our funding offer from OFCC will lapse.  When the district deferred in 2014, OFCC did not provide another offer to participate until this year. If trends continue as they have for our district, the cost of the project will continue to increase and the percentage of the project we have to fund locally will increase.