One of the first questions asked by potential new residents to a community concerns the schools. Where are they? How are they rated? How do students perform? What is the graduation rate? How many students go on to higher education? All valid. And all of interest to new residents.
Not surprisingly, these same questions are asked by new businesses. They know that any new employees they need from outside the area will be asking these questions and want good answers. Or they will not come here to assist in the business.
Second perhaps only to churches, schools are the community’s flagships and represent its values and principles. It behooves us to rate high in both categories.
Though the State of Ohio has been successful with the tobacco settlement money in building new schools around the state, it still remains up to the local community to provide the local share of any new construction project.
One of the measures the state uses to determine whether it will assist in building a new school or renovating and upgrading an existing school is the sixty-six percent rule. That is, if the cost to repair exceeds 66% of the cost to build new, the state will insist we build new or they will not participate in funding.
Many will remember that our buildings were evaluated some years ago as part of the state program to secure our place in the line of funding. At that time our community’s resources were examined and it was determined the state would pay 39% of the cost of any building project we would undertake. The other 61% would be up to us.
This past year we have had the buildings re-evaluated to address any interim changes. The state is locked in for their 39% share and it remains for us to commit to the future we envision as a community.
The results of the building evaluation are as follows. Harmar and Phillips would not qualify for any state funding assistance as they are located in the flood plane. The state will not invest any money in the flood plane.
The middle school, even though it underwent significant renovations in the early 90s, still needs sufficient new renovations and upgrades that the cost would exceed the 66% rule. Hence, the state will not participate in that funding.
Putnam School does not qualify under the 66% rule. Neither does Washington. The current high school is the only building that qualifies for upgrades and funding, but just barely.
Using state rules about classroom sizes, class sizes, square feet of space per our student population and other dictates, the proposal recommended is to construct a new K-4 grade school on the Colegate side of the current high school in the parking lot areas.
The current high school building would be renovated and upgraded to modern standards and become our 5th to 8th grade middle school. A new high school facility would be constructed in a place yet to be determined. There are two locations currently under consideration.
The construction phases would be sequenced to provide a minimum disruption to classes and at the same time expedite having our students in new buildings with updated technology and safety features as soon as possible.
More specifics should be available soon. In the meantime, if you have the opportunity to visit neighboring schools which have been newly constructed, do so. Have a look at what is happening in these new facilities that our students may soon enjoy. We hope to arrange for some of those visits. It’s worth the trip to see the differences.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Be Like The Other Kids
I don’t care what the other kids are wearing, it’s cold outside and you will wear your coat. Now put it on and get off to school.
Early lessons from parents often deal with the contrasts between what others do and what you are allowed to do. Yet like most lessons in life, there are exceptions.
Marietta is one of only three school districts that border the Ohio River between Stubenville and Portsmouth that have not built new schools in recent years. They have not chosen as yet to take advantage of the state funded participation in new buildings. Perhaps it’s time we consider doing what the rest have done.
As recently reported, all the permanent improvement monies spent to date from the levy passed two years ago have been spent conservatively with an eye toward larger goals. Further, our investments in property have been limited to maintaining responsibly what we have with a first obligation being safety of students and staff.
We will continue in this manner until we have an opportunity to tell the larger story about what our future can look like and obtain voter approval to move toward that future. That time is drawing ever closer.
We have recently received the results of the professionally done real estate appraisals of our buildings. Thank you, Mike McCarthy. Harmar $672,000. Putnam $137,500. Middle School, $2,000,000. North Hills, which was appraised a few years ago, $275,000
We have no appraisal as yet on Phillips or Washington at this time.
A curiosity in our properties is that the school system does not own the property on which Washington School stands. Technically it belongs to the city of Marietta. Which makes it a rather challenging property for any future owner and thus impacts its value.
The many other districts that have built new schools in recent years have had their own reasons for doing so. Those reasons probably parallel our reasons for considering such an ambitious but timely project.
Security always tops the list these days. Our current buildings do not lend themselves to the demands of modern security requirements. To retrofit the existing buildings to assure the level of security we should expect is prohibitively expensive.
Next comes the opportunity to take advantage of “free” money. Of course it is not free. It always comes from taxpayers. But this time we have a chance to get some of it back toward our local project. When that opportunity disappears, we will have to pay the entire bill ourselves.
Improved programming possibilities with new facilities will assist our learning process and make our resources more productive. There are many things we can do with new buildings that are not possible with such a widespread array of current facilities.
Operational savings figure in the overall equation. With our scattered buildings we cannot easily adjust class size. Having all our grade school classes under one roof would make an easy adjustment to allow for changing class sizes. One teacher more or less at a grade level could make a huge difference to a student’s educational experience. And provide system flexibility.
Further operational savings on a maintenance level are achievable as we focus on fewer buildings, fewer roofs, fewer everything, not to mention newer, which will have positive impact on repairs at least in the early years.
New buildings will allow us to have larger classrooms more suited to modern teaching methods, equipment and requirements and keep class sizes minimal. Current facilities were designed for needs that are now decades old. Our students deserve up to date facilities and programming.
Stay tuned. More to follow.
Early lessons from parents often deal with the contrasts between what others do and what you are allowed to do. Yet like most lessons in life, there are exceptions.
Marietta is one of only three school districts that border the Ohio River between Stubenville and Portsmouth that have not built new schools in recent years. They have not chosen as yet to take advantage of the state funded participation in new buildings. Perhaps it’s time we consider doing what the rest have done.
As recently reported, all the permanent improvement monies spent to date from the levy passed two years ago have been spent conservatively with an eye toward larger goals. Further, our investments in property have been limited to maintaining responsibly what we have with a first obligation being safety of students and staff.
We will continue in this manner until we have an opportunity to tell the larger story about what our future can look like and obtain voter approval to move toward that future. That time is drawing ever closer.
We have recently received the results of the professionally done real estate appraisals of our buildings. Thank you, Mike McCarthy. Harmar $672,000. Putnam $137,500. Middle School, $2,000,000. North Hills, which was appraised a few years ago, $275,000
We have no appraisal as yet on Phillips or Washington at this time.
A curiosity in our properties is that the school system does not own the property on which Washington School stands. Technically it belongs to the city of Marietta. Which makes it a rather challenging property for any future owner and thus impacts its value.
The many other districts that have built new schools in recent years have had their own reasons for doing so. Those reasons probably parallel our reasons for considering such an ambitious but timely project.
Security always tops the list these days. Our current buildings do not lend themselves to the demands of modern security requirements. To retrofit the existing buildings to assure the level of security we should expect is prohibitively expensive.
Next comes the opportunity to take advantage of “free” money. Of course it is not free. It always comes from taxpayers. But this time we have a chance to get some of it back toward our local project. When that opportunity disappears, we will have to pay the entire bill ourselves.
Improved programming possibilities with new facilities will assist our learning process and make our resources more productive. There are many things we can do with new buildings that are not possible with such a widespread array of current facilities.
Operational savings figure in the overall equation. With our scattered buildings we cannot easily adjust class size. Having all our grade school classes under one roof would make an easy adjustment to allow for changing class sizes. One teacher more or less at a grade level could make a huge difference to a student’s educational experience. And provide system flexibility.
Further operational savings on a maintenance level are achievable as we focus on fewer buildings, fewer roofs, fewer everything, not to mention newer, which will have positive impact on repairs at least in the early years.
New buildings will allow us to have larger classrooms more suited to modern teaching methods, equipment and requirements and keep class sizes minimal. Current facilities were designed for needs that are now decades old. Our students deserve up to date facilities and programming.
Stay tuned. More to follow.
The Future Is In Your Hands
Preserve the Progress-Prepare for the Future. That’s the rallying call behind the effort to pass the 2.95 mill Permanent Improvement levy two years ago. And you did.
What have we done with your money? Good question. First let’s look at what we promised to do with your money.
We promised to buy buses, classroom equipment, computers, energy-efficient windows, handicap accessibility, heating systems, paving, playground equipment, restrooms, roofing, safety, security systems, technology and textbooks. Quite a list.
Next we need to share with you that of the 5 years of levy monies approved by the voters, we have only collected about one year’s worth so far. About one and a half million dollars.
The reason is that after the approval, we did not begin to get the money until the following tax year. So we only have receipts for 2008 and an advance on 2009.
If you go to the office and ask for the summary which Mr. Combs prepared for me you will see a pre-levy carry-over balance from previous years of $41,000 in the accounts. That is the money we set aside to go with the Athletic Booster’s generous contributions to pay for the new bleachers in the gym at the high school. Thank you very much Boosters! Total expenditures about $140,000.
Now to the levy money. Total receipts so far, (March 31, 09) $1,697,462.46. Total expenditures to date, $1,047,723.54. Leaving a balance unspent of $649,738.92.
What did you get for your money? Rounding to the nearest thousand dollars, though we have the figures to the penny, here it is.
Textbook replacement, $246,000. Technology, $224,000. Security, $110,000. Paving, $126,000. Roof repair, $44,000. Three buses, less state share, $201,000. Window repair and restoration, $21,000. Gym wall pads and covers, $9,000. Classroom furniture, $6,000. Custodial, maintenance and transportation equipment, $33,000. And here’s one that got my attention: County Auditor and Treasurer fees, $28,000.
It had escaped my attention before that we must pay the Auditor and Treasurer to calculate, collect and disburse our money from the taxes you pay. Someone has to pay those salaries, and it is us. Which is really you, but that’s another subject.
Sounds good on the surface. What didn’t you get that you were promised? Great question. We did not spend an estimated $400,000 to install elevators in Washington and Harmar schools. Since new buildings could possibly be in our future we felt this was an expense that could await further public approval of the future of the district.
We also chose to hire a local contractor to do some major work on the windows at Washington School to increase both safety and efficiency. We opted for this expense over spending nearly $400,000 that would not have returned the investment for over 30 years. Again, the future of the district needs to be clearer before an expense of that size can be justified.
We have also not spent any of the permanent improvement money on playgrounds. Though there have been many improvements thanks to PTOs and others. Our playgrounds overall are acceptable and safe. Our goal is a much grander improvement later.
Any money unspent from this levy can be used in the event you, the voters, approve the construction of new buildings. And we are getting much closer to being able to report the final numbers and recommendations from the state.
Yes, we have been saying we are getting close since October, but really, we are. They are running out of stall tactics and final figures will soon be available. Be prepared. The future of your schools will soon be in your hands.
What have we done with your money? Good question. First let’s look at what we promised to do with your money.
We promised to buy buses, classroom equipment, computers, energy-efficient windows, handicap accessibility, heating systems, paving, playground equipment, restrooms, roofing, safety, security systems, technology and textbooks. Quite a list.
Next we need to share with you that of the 5 years of levy monies approved by the voters, we have only collected about one year’s worth so far. About one and a half million dollars.
The reason is that after the approval, we did not begin to get the money until the following tax year. So we only have receipts for 2008 and an advance on 2009.
If you go to the office and ask for the summary which Mr. Combs prepared for me you will see a pre-levy carry-over balance from previous years of $41,000 in the accounts. That is the money we set aside to go with the Athletic Booster’s generous contributions to pay for the new bleachers in the gym at the high school. Thank you very much Boosters! Total expenditures about $140,000.
Now to the levy money. Total receipts so far, (March 31, 09) $1,697,462.46. Total expenditures to date, $1,047,723.54. Leaving a balance unspent of $649,738.92.
What did you get for your money? Rounding to the nearest thousand dollars, though we have the figures to the penny, here it is.
Textbook replacement, $246,000. Technology, $224,000. Security, $110,000. Paving, $126,000. Roof repair, $44,000. Three buses, less state share, $201,000. Window repair and restoration, $21,000. Gym wall pads and covers, $9,000. Classroom furniture, $6,000. Custodial, maintenance and transportation equipment, $33,000. And here’s one that got my attention: County Auditor and Treasurer fees, $28,000.
It had escaped my attention before that we must pay the Auditor and Treasurer to calculate, collect and disburse our money from the taxes you pay. Someone has to pay those salaries, and it is us. Which is really you, but that’s another subject.
Sounds good on the surface. What didn’t you get that you were promised? Great question. We did not spend an estimated $400,000 to install elevators in Washington and Harmar schools. Since new buildings could possibly be in our future we felt this was an expense that could await further public approval of the future of the district.
We also chose to hire a local contractor to do some major work on the windows at Washington School to increase both safety and efficiency. We opted for this expense over spending nearly $400,000 that would not have returned the investment for over 30 years. Again, the future of the district needs to be clearer before an expense of that size can be justified.
We have also not spent any of the permanent improvement money on playgrounds. Though there have been many improvements thanks to PTOs and others. Our playgrounds overall are acceptable and safe. Our goal is a much grander improvement later.
Any money unspent from this levy can be used in the event you, the voters, approve the construction of new buildings. And we are getting much closer to being able to report the final numbers and recommendations from the state.
Yes, we have been saying we are getting close since October, but really, we are. They are running out of stall tactics and final figures will soon be available. Be prepared. The future of your schools will soon be in your hands.
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