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 approximately $35 million dollars. Under the OFCC proposal, the State would fund approximately 75% of any renovation project (the State Share) and we would have to ask the taxpayers for approximately 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 May 6, 2025 ballot. In addition, the Board has placed an OFCC-required 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

• 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 approximately 75% of any renovation project and we would have to ask the taxpayers for approximately 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 for a project as opposed to how much the state would fund) has gone up each year for the past decade.

Is this the same levy the district ran in the fall?

No. After feedback from the community the district has completely removed the competition gymnasium from the project scope. In the Fall, the district’s ballot issue was for 7.79 mills, or $18,765,000,  plus the 0.5 mill maintenance levy required by the OFCC. The current ballot issue is for 3.90 mills, or $9,400,000 plus the 0.5 mill maintenance levy required by the OFCC. The district will still receive the full $26.5 million in state funding for the project if this ballot issue passes.

What is an ELPP 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 May 6, 2025 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 approximately 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? 

Approximately $35 million dollars.  Our community would have to pay approximately 25% of that total.

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 4 mill bond issue in 1996. The bond issue on the May 2025 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 an OFCC-required half-mill permanent improvement levy to pay for a maintenance fund set-aside (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 May 6, 2025 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 bond issue 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, 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. 

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.

Are there upgrades to athletic facilities?

Yes. The gymnasiums would be upgraded as they are considered classroom space as well.  

Are we adding a gym?

No.  The scope of this project does not include an additional gym as the previous ballot request did.  It was taken out of the project after communication with the community.  

What about the parking lot?

The parking lot would be upgraded and expanded.  

Is this the best time to do a project? 

The state offered us funding for this project in 2014 and the school district deferred. At that time, the total project cost was roughly 7 million dollars and our local share was only 16% meaning we would have gone to the ballot for 1.1 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 736. 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 9.4 million and with inflation that cost will likely continue to rise if we were to defer and try and complete the project in the future.  There is also 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 27 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.

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 $154 a year for $100,000 of the auditor's appraised value of a home or 42 cents a day.    

For the average household in our district that would be $236 a year or 65 cents a day.  

For homeowners 65 and older that qualify for the homestead exemption, that is $114 per year for $100,000 of the county auditor's appraised value on a home or 31 cents a day.  

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

What will it look like on the ballot?