PERRYSBURG – A focus group to better understand how residents feel about the student population growth in the district concluded with no real surprises.

According to Superintendent Tom Hosler, 107 residents applied to participate and the 31 were selected to participate in six 90-minute focus groups in February.

This is the first time the district has held a focus group of this kind, he said at Monday’s board of education meeting.

He said he didn’t know what to expect but there were no real surprises.

“I thought the questions were good, I thought the responses were good,” Hosler said.

“Sometimes we need to know, sometimes we’re afraid to know the answers to those questions,” he said

The report “will help us see the good, the bad and the ugly and help us face forward in way that will help us make a difference,” he said.

Heather Smith, a 1995 graduate of Perrysburg High School, offered to lead the focus group at no cost.

Smith said the purpose of the focus groups was to offer an opportunity to engage in the community and to discuss the enrollment growth the district was experiencing and how it affects the facilities.

“All of them, regardless of where they stand on facilities, showed they care a lot about the community,” she said.

Applicants who were part of the district’s facilities committee were excluded.

The report indicated many participants would appreciate additional community conversations and despite significant information being shared in regard to school growth and facilities, many are still seeking information.

When asked for perceived reasons why the November levy request to fund additional facilities failed, answers ranged from “it was ill-timed” in combination with the property tax assessment and high inflation; lack of communications with the comment “it almost felt like they were sneaking it in and assume we would vote yes”; and some had “sticker shock” over the request.

Some wanted reassurance that building a new school was the right step, and wondered if other options were pursued, including buying an existing building, holding year-round school to allow growth without expanding, and whether the city’s income tax can be increased to help support the school system.

While there is trust in school administrators, some felt that there were too many and wanted an explanation why the numbers have grown and how Perrysburg compares to similar districts.

Members also commented on the mistrust of the facilities committee due to lack of understanding of how it was formed and the options it explored; and why classrooms weren’t added to the high school with the auxiliary gym was added.

There was confusion on whether city planners, the school district and the mayor talk to each other regarding growth, to better predict school needs.

“Sometimes you think that things are much more dire than what they are, so to read the report … actually provided a little more of a lift in what we’re doing,” Hosler said.

The report is available on the district website.

“This is what she does. It’s a unique skill set,” Hosler said about Smith, who has three children in the district. “To pull that insight out of the community at such a critical time is invaluable.”

Also at the meeting, the board:

• Heard a review of the incremental levy on the Nov. 5 ballot.

• Recognized the high school baseball team, which made it to the state semifinals.

• Approved a Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center service agreement based on $259 per day up to $77,000.

• Approved overnight trips for the junior high for the Solon (Ohio) Show Choir Competition in February 2025 and the Norwell Show Choir Competition in Ossian, Indiana, in March 2025.