Guest posts are welcome and encouraged. If you have something to say and are able to do it in a respectful, reasonable way, send your piece to darkejournal@gmail.com. The contents of guest posts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DarkeJournal.com.
I would like to give you some facts concerning the upcoming Greenville Schools bond levy. Our oldest building is South School, which was built in 1911. The Junior High School was built in 1923 and East School was built in 1950. Woodland Heights was added in 1962, formerly built in 1956 as the consolidated township school building. Our newest building, the High School, was built in 1962. In an act of fiscal responsibility, Gettysburg merged with Greenville City Schools in 1972. At this point, an addition was added to the High School to accommodate the freshman class. The decision was made in 2007 to close North School, built in 1901 and Gettysburg School, built in 1924, because of needed updates and financial reasons. This act allowed the consolidation of seven buildings into five buildings, saving the taxpayers approximately $500,000 each year by reducing staff positions, utilities, and annual maintenance costs. This reconfiguration also allowed the district to combine grade levels for better teacher collaboration.
Seeing the need statewide for new school facilities, the State of Ohio formed the OSFC/OFCC in 1997. This program provided co-funding for new school buildings in the state of Ohio. Wanting to be proactive in looking toward the future needs of our district, the Board of Education first attempted a building levy in 2003. After an extensive search, the Board of Education purchased additional acreage adjacent to twelve acres already owned by the district on St. Rt. 121 in 2005 to be used for a new building site. With the age and structural issues at the Junior High and Elementary buildings, the need for a new K-8 facility became apparent.
I see the Greenville School District spending excessive tax dollars on building maintenance and upgrades every year because of the age of our buildings. In the last ten years the district has spent $3,966,851.97 on school building upgrades, such as asbestos removal, electrical, plumbing, etc. In the last five years, because of the age of the buildings, the district has spent $352,914.38 on non-custodial, non-routine maintenance which is over and above ordinary costs just for the Junior High and Elementary buildings. This does not include the excessive utility costs in our inefficient buildings. Because it becomes increasingly more expensive to repair older buildings, this figure will become increasingly higher as time goes on. The district is currently in the process of replacing the boiler at East School at a cost of $80,000. The district is also doing upgrades costing $37,025.00 at the Jr. and Sr. High buildings to provide better security for our staff and students. There is blacktop and roof repair being done at the High School. There has been ongoing repair of the heating and water treatment systems at Woodland Heights. The steam pipes are corroding and over 150 holes have been repaired so far. The cost of just monitoring the water treatment system is $8,000-$10,000 each year. Every building has asbestos, which must be inspected periodically at an average cost of $5,200 per year. When repairs are made, because we are a public entity, the buildings must be brought up to current building code. This inflates the cost of the repair even more. I feel that it is misuse of taxpayer dollars to continue spending as much money as we have to spend in order to maintain our old buildings.
The residents of the Greenville School District have and are continuing to fund new school buildings all over the state of Ohio. Tax from this levy, unlike most others, stays right here within the Greenville School District. It does not go to Columbus or Washington D.C. It stays right here to benefit our students.
The August 6th bond levy is the sixth building levy Greenville Schools has placed on the ballot in the lastten years. The average cost of the prior five levies is $9,010.05. The need for a new building is not going to go away. Why continue spending tax dollars on election costs, high utility costs, and upkeep of old buildings. Let’s take advantage of the low interest rates, low construction costs and state co-funded dollars. We can also take advantage of the 12.5% rollback if we pass this levy now.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 states that “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is time for every event under heaven…A time to tear down and a time to build up.” My prayer is that this is our time. I feel certain that if we wait, it will cost us all more later.
“If not us, who? If not now, when?” -John F. Kennedy
Respectfully,
Ben Studabaker
Member of Greenville Schools Board of Education
I would like to give you some facts concerning the upcoming Greenville Schools bond levy. Our oldest building is South School, which was built in 1911. The Junior High School was built in 1923 and East School was built in 1950. Woodland Heights was added in 1962, formerly built in 1956 as the consolidated township school building. Our newest building, the High School, was built in 1962. In an act of fiscal responsibility, Gettysburg merged with Greenville City Schools in 1972. At this point, an addition was added to the High School to accommodate the freshman class. The decision was made in 2007 to close North School, built in 1901 and Gettysburg School, built in 1924, because of needed updates and financial reasons. This act allowed the consolidation of seven buildings into five buildings, saving the taxpayers approximately $500,000 each year by reducing staff positions, utilities, and annual maintenance costs. This reconfiguration also allowed the district to combine grade levels for better teacher collaboration.
Seeing the need statewide for new school facilities, the State of Ohio formed the OSFC/OFCC in 1997. This program provided co-funding for new school buildings in the state of Ohio. Wanting to be proactive in looking toward the future needs of our district, the Board of Education first attempted a building levy in 2003. After an extensive search, the Board of Education purchased additional acreage adjacent to twelve acres already owned by the district on St. Rt. 121 in 2005 to be used for a new building site. With the age and structural issues at the Junior High and Elementary buildings, the need for a new K-8 facility became apparent.
I see the Greenville School District spending excessive tax dollars on building maintenance and upgrades every year because of the age of our buildings. In the last ten years the district has spent $3,966,851.97 on school building upgrades, such as asbestos removal, electrical, plumbing, etc. In the last five years, because of the age of the buildings, the district has spent $352,914.38 on non-custodial, non-routine maintenance which is over and above ordinary costs just for the Junior High and Elementary buildings. This does not include the excessive utility costs in our inefficient buildings. Because it becomes increasingly more expensive to repair older buildings, this figure will become increasingly higher as time goes on. The district is currently in the process of replacing the boiler at East School at a cost of $80,000. The district is also doing upgrades costing $37,025.00 at the Jr. and Sr. High buildings to provide better security for our staff and students. There is blacktop and roof repair being done at the High School. There has been ongoing repair of the heating and water treatment systems at Woodland Heights. The steam pipes are corroding and over 150 holes have been repaired so far. The cost of just monitoring the water treatment system is $8,000-$10,000 each year. Every building has asbestos, which must be inspected periodically at an average cost of $5,200 per year. When repairs are made, because we are a public entity, the buildings must be brought up to current building code. This inflates the cost of the repair even more. I feel that it is misuse of taxpayer dollars to continue spending as much money as we have to spend in order to maintain our old buildings.
The residents of the Greenville School District have and are continuing to fund new school buildings all over the state of Ohio. Tax from this levy, unlike most others, stays right here within the Greenville School District. It does not go to Columbus or Washington D.C. It stays right here to benefit our students.
The August 6th bond levy is the sixth building levy Greenville Schools has placed on the ballot in the lastten years. The average cost of the prior five levies is $9,010.05. The need for a new building is not going to go away. Why continue spending tax dollars on election costs, high utility costs, and upkeep of old buildings. Let’s take advantage of the low interest rates, low construction costs and state co-funded dollars. We can also take advantage of the 12.5% rollback if we pass this levy now.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 states that “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is time for every event under heaven…A time to tear down and a time to build up.” My prayer is that this is our time. I feel certain that if we wait, it will cost us all more later.
“If not us, who? If not now, when?” -John F. Kennedy
Respectfully,
Ben Studabaker
Member of Greenville Schools Board of Education