Buckeye takes first official step toward putting bond issue on November ballot

YORK TWP. — Buckeye area voters probably will be asked to decide in November whether to build a new school. The Buckeye Board of Education passed a resolution of necessity to put a bond issue on the November ballot during its meeting on Tuesday. The scope of construction involves building a 156,000-square-foot high school for grades nine through 12. An auditorium, demolition of the existing junior high school and traffic flow improvements on campus would also be part of the project. Repairs would be done to the existing high school to house junior high students. At an unknown later date, Buckeye would have to come back to the community to fund a junior high addition to the new high school. It is a $77 million project, which would be funded using $8 million from the general fund, a $10 million certificate of participation loan and a $59 million bond issue. "When we surveyed the community in the fall, we very clearly heard that they were looking for the school district to find other ways to finance this," Buckeye Superintendent Jeff Stanton said. "We never wanted to lose sight of that. We have the ability to do that through the work of (Treasurer Jen Knapp) and the future work of Mark (Donnelly) and the astuteness of the district for years." The 4-mill bond issue would last 35 years, and would cost the owner of an $100,000 home $140 annually. "I've heard a lot of maybe we shouldn't spend money," board member Roy Salazar said. "If we go back to the conversation that we had last month, we said standing still is going to cost us money. We absolutely must move forward." Last year, the district's $80 million bond issue for a 195,000-square-foot school for grades seven through 12 failed with 72 percent of voters against it. Stanton said the new bond issue is responsive to community feedback. "It's significantly less overall than the $80 million request a year ago," board president Seth Kujat said. The resolution of necessity was the first of two formal board actions to put the issue on the ballot, Stanton said. A resolution to proceed is the second step in the process, which the board will vote on during the July meeting. "If you're a new teacher to this district, I hope you have an opportunity to get some new buildings and new facilities in the next decade," Kujat said. "Stick with us. We are (trying) to make sure that this community understands the finances of every decision we make." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.