Washington Local Schools plans $73 million middle school
The project is estimated to cost about $73 million, Washington Local Supt. Kadee Anstadt said it will be paid for exclusively with state funding.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Washington Local Schools has plans for a new middle school. The project has a price tag of about $73 million, but Superintendent Kadee Anstadt said it won’t cost residents a dime, because it’s going to be paid for exclusively with state funding.
Back in 2019, the state made a deal with WLS that if the district could raise 20% of its funding goals for all district projects, the government would cover the rest.
Now the district is cashing in.
“Any time someone writes you a $73 million check, we don’t really get that kind of news here at Washington Local, so we’re excited about that,” Anstadt said.
The district has two big projects: the new Shoreland Elementary School, paid for with the district’s 20% that came from a tax levy and a new middle school, which will be paid for with the state’s promised 80%.
Dr. Anstadt said it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“(Jefferson Junior High) is very, very old. It was built in 1927,” Anstadt said. “(Washington Junior High) is old as well. Our elementaries are all very full.”
Now, the district plans to build a new home for WLS students large enough to fit well over 1,500 kids in grades six through eight and packed with modern technology on its plate.
As for where the building will be located, WLS School Board President Mike Murphy said the plan is to use the fields behind the Washington Public Library, and possibly the library itself.
“Ideally we’d like to be able to move (the library) somewhere else, just so we could have that opening there to be able to work with it,” Murphy said. “(Anstadt) has been working with those, but I don’t think there’s been any definitive plans yet.”
Neighbors who live on the streets surrounding the library seemed open to the potential new school, but they have some reservations. One such resident is Andrew Ignatowicz, who lives across from the field.
“It’s probably going to be good for the district because it’s a wide-open spot,” Ignatowicz said. “I guess our biggest concern is the construction that will be here. One, because construction usually pushes out critters, so we’re gonna have to deal with that. And two, it will probably make the traffic worse over here.”
Murphy acknowledged that the process might come with some headaches, but said they’ll do everything they can to keep residents at ease.
“We’ll do what we have to do to minimize noise, and we’re always going to be good partners with our taxpayers, right?” Murphy said. “I mean, we’re always going to take their suggestions into what we do, but we’re gonna do what we can to make them proud of what we’re gonna put in.”
The plan has already been approved by the school board, but it’s not a done deal yet. Final approval will come from the state before construction can start.
As for Jefferson Junior High, Murphy said it will likely be torn down but a final decision has not been reached yet.
If everything goes according to plan, the entire project should be complete by 2025.
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