Good Info on the Schools Project

As we move through the process of selecting a building to build and ways to promote it and pay for it, there will always be different opinions, different interpretations and in general, different ways of looking at the issue.  This blog will always try to provide current information about the meetings and new issues that pop up.  Darke Journal has an excellent page right now (Link to DJ) which address the issue as well as the Daily Advocate.  Wave 96 has committed to keeping everyone abreast on the situation.  Best of all people have started reading the information and asking good, intelligent, constructive questions.  Hopefully this will continue.  As time goes on, the committee will get information a little more coordinated, but make sure to check all the sources all the time.

Greenville Schools Facility Meeting 5/17/2011

The Greenville Schools Facility Meeting was held on Tuesday evening in the Anna Bier room of Memorial Hall with 31 people present from all over the district.  There was an enormous amount of discussion on all issues but only two things to vote on:

1. Which building plan to go with ?
2. Should we put a bond levy on the ballot in November?

The first question was pretty easy.  Almost everyone voted for Plan B. this is the K-8 building that we looked at last week and can be seen here. There will be further information forthcoming on this plan.
This plan allows the district to build one building for K-8 as well as begin the refurbishing process on the existing high school.  The existing high school is the only building in the district that complies with current Ohio School Standards. As shown here the building consists basically of two wings one for the lower grades and one for the upper grades housed on two floors.  The athletic fields are not in the plan now but are on the drawing to show how things will fit and these can be developed later.  Busses will be able to pick up and drop off students in two areas thus eliminating the comingling of older with younger students.
The number 2 question was so easy.  Should the Board of Education put this to a vote in the November election.  There were some outside factors.  First there is a bill in the legislature that may eliminate special elections, limiting then number of times the issue could be put on the ballot.  The other point of contention is that the Greenville Library is also asking for money on that election.  Unfortunately, it will be listed as “”Greenville Schools Library” which could put a damper on the actual school issue.  At any rate, the number 2 question passed so it will be on the November ballot if the board chooses to put it there.
All of this will be presented to the Board of Education at the May 24th meeting.  It will then be up to them to move forward. This has all been a very positive experience for everyone involved.  It has allowed a lot of people from all over the district to have input, understand what is going on and take things back to their neighbors.  Feedback has been mostly positive. Now comes the job of educating everyone in the district on the project.
To keep things in perspective, this year marks the 100th birthday of the South School.  No one is around who built it to celebrate.  Let’s hope that is true of the new building in 100 years.
More later on funding, the campaign and other issues of building a new building.

NOTE:

Numbers on each rendition of a building for the state participation and the GCSD won't add up to the total. This is because of Locally Funded Initiatives (LFi's).  LFI's are additions to the project that we have felt were needed  and the state won't help fund.  This isn't to say that they will always be on the budget per say but were needed in the proposal to keep the funding sources straight.  As things go on, they may be removed or be allowed or simply kept in place.  Some will also be phased in. Coming soon, a list of LFI's for you to consider.