Buckeye hosts town hall to answer questions about proposed self-funded plan for facilities

YORK TWP. — Buckeye Schools answered community questions and listened to feedback from the public regarding its proposed self-funded plan for facilities during a town hall on Wednesday. The current high school would become the junior high school in the new plan, and a new high school would be constructed at Wolff Road and Columbia Road. The project would be funded with approximately $40 million in cash reserves and a 20-year, $23 million Certificate of Participation loan. Board member Roy Salazar said the new proposal is smaller than previous facility plans. For instance, the new high school would have one gym instead of two and the classroom sizes have shrunk a little but are still larger than classrooms at the current high school. Buckeye did not have the money to cover the previous $85 million plan, but it is close to being able to self-fund a $63 million plan, Salazar said. The district's cash balance has gotten stronger over time. "This is a smaller and more conservative plan, and that plan has decreased the cost, which makes the gap possible to close," he said. Treasurer Mark Donnelly said he looked at how Buckeye can pay back the loan without affecting the general fund and normal school operations. About $2.3 million is raised a year for capital improvements, and payments on the loan would be around $1.8 million a year, he said. It leaves around $500,000 in capital funds for other projects and repairs while the general fund is left alone. "It's like trying to buy a house," Donnelly said. "You need that big down payment, but you don't have it yet. We're going to have our big down payment next year, and we'll be able to provide for this community the high school that we deserve." Building a new high school would also allow Buckeye to take advantage of a future reimbursement from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. "We know from the CPL (Architects and Engineers Inc.) report and the (Ohio Facilities Construction Commission) that renovating the junior high would be $22 million, and the state will not co-fund this with us," Salazar said. "They will not reimburse us because the cost to renovate is more than 60 percent of the cost to build." Buckeye has not made a decision on the proposal yet. The board of education will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the high school media center to vote on it. For more information about the plan, visit tinyurl.com/4ew4fpev. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.