PEMBERVILLE – Eastwood Local Schools has started to address the future of its middle school and high school.
At its Nov. 20 meeting, the board of education approved a resolution of intent to participate in the Expedited Local Partnership Program with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
Superintendent Brent Welker said the district was starting a fact-finding process to fully understand the scope and costs associated with new construction or renovation of the two schools.
“So we will be ready if our number is called,” he said Monday.
He said the district sent a letter of interest to OFCC in 2021, but at that time was far down the list for funding. The district was bumped up in the last couple months due to completion of the elementary school portion of its master facilities plan.
Functionality and maintenance have become issues at both the middle and high schools, Welker said.
The high school was built in 1960 and added onto in 2000.
“We’ve kept it in pretty good shape,” he said. But finding replacement parts for the mechanical systems “is a big deal.”
The middle school was built in 1970.
There has been some interest in getting the middle school and high school under one roof but providing a 21st-century learning environment is a priority, Welker said.
“All options are on the table,” he said.
Eastwood Elementary opened in 2017 and the last payment of $1,363,075 will be made in 2025.
The district participated in OFCC to get funding for elementary school. Thirty-six percent of the project’s cost was covered by the state, leaving a local share of around $14 million.
OFCC will assess the middle and high schools, develop enrollment projections, and identify the number of co-funded square feet in the proposed project.
The facilities assessment report will be used to develop an estimated project budget and scope, including whether the buildings should be renovated.
“The question is, if we’re going to do something, what is our costs,” Welker said.
These steps will take approximately 12 months and involve staff and administration visits to other schools and a visioning process that will bring together members of the community – parents, students, and other stakeholders, according to Welker.
There will also be forums where information will be shared with community members for their input, he said.
Eastwood will fund in full any project but by working with OFCC, the district will get reimbursed 36% of any qualifying costs once it is become eligible for the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program.
It could be in a couple of years, and will depend on state funding availability, Welker said.
There is no obligation to more forward, but the board will have excellent information for the future, he said.
Welker said there were three things to keep in mind while considering how to proceed:
Get it right: Make sure the decisions made will stand the test of time, including infrastructure.
Build to last: It is likely that this will be the last project undertaken until 2050.
Future ready: The district needs to make sure that it is looking ahead to the educational needs of students.
Also at the meeting, the board:
• Approve a three-year administrative contract for Gary Gardner as director of human resources, effective Aug. 1, 2024.
Gardner is currently the district’s elementary assistant principal.
• Accept the donations to the Robotics Club of $1,200 from A-Gas, $500 from Napoleon Machine, $5,000 from Morrison Container Handling Solutions, $5,000 from PMMI, $500 from NSG Group, $5,000 from First Solar, $1,000 from Rosenboom Machine & Tool, and material valued at $300 to build a shipping crate to send the display to Denver; $50 to the FFA from Lori Wagner; $100 to the Eastwood Athletic Department from Mike Jameson; and $732 from the Eastwood Athletic Boosters to Eastwood girls basketball program.
• Approved the five-year forecast, which shows revenue decreasing from this year’s $21.185 million to $18.003 million in fiscal year 2028 and expenses increasing from $21.633 million this year to $23.288 million in five years.
Expenses started outpacing revenues in fiscal year 2023, when the district had a $11.610 million cash balance. Projections show the gap between revenues and expenditures growing to $5.285 million in fiscal year 2028, depleting the cash balance to $3.404 million.
