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SALEM -- Voters will decide on a property tax levy to build a new K-8 building in the Salem school district in the upcoming May 2 special election.
The 3.48 mils 37-year levy will generate nearly $19 million to cover the 33% local portion of the proposed new K-8 building's nearly $57.4 million total cost, with the remaining 67% of project costs being funded through an award from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC).
Should the levy pass, Salem residents would see an approximate increase of $121 per year or $83 per year for those that qualify for the Homestead Exemption, for each $100,000 valuation of the property, meaning a taxpayer owning a home valued at $200,000 would be twice as much. The district has roughly 13 months from the date of the award to secure funding for the project, meaning that should the bond issue fail to pass it could attempt to place it on the ballot again in the November general election.
"For about the cost of a burrito a month you can have a school building," joked Superintendent Sean Kirkland in the board of education's April meeting.
Due to the nature of the OFCC's offer as a segmented plan, should the levy pass the offered rate from the OFCC would be set at that rate of 67 cents on the dollar in perpetuity, ensuring a favorable rate for any future construction necessary for the district.
"That offer is a segmented plan, that means that for this community you can build a K-8 building at this time, and at some point in the future come back, 30 years down the road, and build a high school if you need to, because that deal is secured in perpetuity," said Kirkland.
In April's board of education meeting Kirkland also said the proposed building would be built on a 67-acre property the district owns on Whinnery farm, in the city's Southeast corner with four egresses for entrance and exit to the property and would take approximately four years to build should the levy pass. Kirkland also explained all three existing elementary buildings combined take up approximately 25-acres, or 28-acres if auxiliary properties at Buckeye are added.
"Sixty-seven acres compared to 25 is a significant difference when you're talking about the safety of kids, drop-off, pickup, exits, entrances, those type of things that go on in a school, and when your concerned about safety, there's more acreage --over double to address those concerns, that is a fact," said Kirkland.
The current elementary buildings including Reilly, Buckeye, and Southeast were built in 1928, 1948, and 1967, --95, 75, and 56 years old respectively. As previously noted by Kirkland and Treasurer Mike Douglas require frequent and increasingly expensive maintenance issues due to their age.
"Buckeye Elementary, where our kindergarten through second grade go was built in 1948, it's 75 years old. That's an old building, that's a fact, and the reason I say it's a fact is because those buildings were built with a life expectancy of 60 to 70 years," said Kirkland.
Kirkland also addressed recent questions regarding the fate of the existing buildings following the construction of the new school. Kirkland said that when participating in a funding program of this nature a district has three options for dealing with the old building: to demolish and abate the building; to maintain and re-purpose the building; or to sell it to another district. Kirkland said that the board intended to demolish and abate Buckeye and Reilly. It was hoped that Southeast could be re-purposed for future use.
"The funds being raised between the state and local share would allow for the demolition and abatement of all three schools. At this point the board is only willing to demolish and abate Buckeye and Reilly. Southeast is a school we believe we can repurpose. We aren't all in on a re-purpose, but that's what we're going to try to do. It has to be a situation where it won't cost the district money, and we have a lot of ideas of what we can do over there, and we'll get to that, but for now we're sticking with trying to repurpose that facility," said Kirkland.
In response to recent questions regarding the possibility of continuing repairs or renovations at the existing buildings, and whether a feasibility study had been conducted on the matter by residents including Salem Preservation Society President David Schwarts and Salem Preservation Society member Karen Carter, Kirkland said in the meeting that the OFCC had conducted such a study when evaluating their award to the district.
"The feasibility study was done by the OFCC, that's why we're here, that's why we're in front of you, that study was clear, it will cost more money to bring the buildings up to what the state standard is in the 21st century than it will to build a new one; and therefore, they supported us and made us an offer of 67 cents on the dollar," said Kirkland.
Kirkland also argued at the April meeting that currently Salem has the fourth lowest average tax rates of all area school districts, with only Leetonia, Lisbon, and Southern Local being cheaper. United Local, Aliance, Beaver Local, East Liverpool, East Palestine, Wellsville, Columbiana, Crestview, Sebring, and South Range all have higher average tax rates.. Kirkland said that should the levy pass, Salem would still have the fifth lowest rate of all area school districts.
Should the district be unsuccessful in getting a levy passed with both of its attempts,it will become a lapse district --moving to the back of the line for future OFCC funding, with no guarantees that when the time comes again to receive a funding offer it will be as favorable.
"The question has been asked what happens if we say no? We have 13 months to pass this bond issue. We have two tries, now and in November," added Kirkland. "If the school board did not at this point pursue this bond and let this go, we would go back to the bottom of the list, and we're not sure when we would have got this offer again.
"The other scenario that can happen is that if we don't pass it in our two tries, we become a lapse district, and a lapse district goes behind all the other lapse districts and the significant difference at that time is that 67 cents on the dollar is no longer guaranteed. That contract goes away. So, the whole formula would be reworked and at that point they'd offer what they could. Sixty-seven cents on the dollar is the highest offer this district has ever received and is higher than any other in the area except for maybe Crestview."