Green Schools bond issue on May 3 ballot

GREEN — Voters in the Green Local Schools district will see Issue 3 — a 37-year, $68 million bond issue to construct and renovate district facilities, with collections to begin in 2023 — on the May 3 Primary Election ballot.
The issue is being put before voters following feedback gathered during community meetings and the 2021-26 strategic plan for the district, which identified facilities, safety and security as the second goal of the plan, according to district officials.
Jennifer Doerrer, levy campaign chairperson, said the bond issue is needed due to the condition of the district’s three oldest buildings — Greenwood Early Learning Center (built in 1961), Green Intermediate School (GIS) (1956) and Green Middle School (GMS) (1969).
Levy plans include demolishing and replacing Greenwood, GIS and GMS with two new buildings, along with an addition to Green Primary School (GPS) that would allow for the school to house prekindergarten through second-grade classes, and a new elementary school to be constructed behind Greenwood to house third through fifth grades. The new middle school building would house sixth through eighth grades and be built slightly north of the existing building’s location. Money from the bond issue would also be used to build a bus garage.
If voters approve the issue, the district would partner with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, which would fund 25 percent of construction projects, with the remaining 75 percent being funded locally.
According to Doerrer, Issue 3 would cost the owner of a $100,000 property almost $109 per year. A chart with home values and the associated cost for property owners can be found at www.greenlocalschools.org/TheCost.aspx.
“The upcoming bond issue is an opportunity for the community to modernize its facilities and provide an enhanced learning atmosphere for our staff and students,” said Superintendent Jeff Miller. “Our current buildings have students learning in converted locker rooms and other unconventional spaces that are not conducive to our instructional delivery methods. Increasing the size and flexibility of classrooms allows for a variety of learning outcomes and greater efficiency in delivering services to students.”
Doerrer said she did not realize the poor condition of the oldest buildings until she took a tour with maintenance staff. She said some of the issues with the buildings include aging roofs and difficulty making repairs to old boilers.
“It is not anything the district could have done different,” said Doerrer, who added custodians and maintenance staff have done a great job to make the buildings look as good as they do and prolong the life of the buildings thus far.
Doerrer said completion of the facilities projects will lead to safer buildings, larger classrooms and lower operation costs as the district moves from five buildings to four.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to invest in our community,” she said. “Strong schools are linked to a strong city and strong community.”
Doerrer stressed that no money from the bond issue will go toward the proposed recreation facility to be built where GIS is situated once the school is demolished.
During his State of the City Address in January, Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer proposed the city partner with the school district to build a separate building that will provide community facilities that include multiple basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts, multipurpose active space and an indoor track.
“Passing this school levy just makes sense financially,” Neugebauer said. “By replacing three of our oldest buildings with two new schools, our district will reduce maintenance and staffing costs to save our taxpayers money over the next 30 years. With this levy, Green’s property taxes will continue to be the lowest in Summit County.”
For more information on the levy, visit www.greenlocalschools.org/FutureFacilities.aspx or search for the Building Green Strong page on Facebook.