School facilities discussion tonight

by Marci Alegant, Beth Weiss, and Ian Yarber

Oberlin school board members

Oberlin citizens by now are aware that last week the Oberlin board of dducation voted not to put any issues before the voters this spring. We had been considering a five-year, 1-mill permanent improvement levy that would have repaired the track and tennis courts, which are currently unusable.

Board members expressed support for the concept, but had misgivings about the timing. The board is primarily concerned about balancing the budget for the coming year, which will be accomplished in March and April.

A second reason to hold off on the track and tennis court levy is the board's interest in considering a completely new set of school district building(s). The board felt that the track and tennis courts might well fit better as part of such a major initiative.

The process of considering a new school campus will begin at the board of education meeting at 6 p.m. today in city council chambers. A presentation from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission will provide important information regarding the state's possible assistance in the project.

The Ohio Schools Facilities Commission was established more than a decade ago to establish guidelines for effective school facilities, and to assist schools in upgrading or replacing their facilities. All of the districts in the state were ranked in order of wealth, and the OSFC began by working with (and distributing money to) school districts at the low wealth end of the list.

The poorest school districts were given more than 90 percent of the cost of renovating or replacing school buildings; when the OSFC gets to the wealthiest districts, they will provide less than 10 percent of the necessary funds for renovation or replacement.

Unfortunately, Oberlin is ranked in the top quarter of Ohio school districts in terms of wealth, so the state will not be providing us with a great deal of aid. Clearly the reality of Oberlin's current financial climate is not accurately reflected in these ratings.

Oberlinians may recall that the OSFC has already reviewed the Oberlin school buildings and declared that our buildings will cost more to renovate than to build new. Their guidelines call for new buildings if the cost of renovating exceeds two-thirds of that new, so the OSFC will not provide any aid to Oberlin for renovation; any support they do provide will only support new construction.

There is a great deal to learn and to discuss. All interested residents are encouraged to attend tonight, or tune in on Channel 9. Please stay engaged in this process as we take a substantial look at the future of the Oberlin Schools.

This is an exciting time-please come to the meeting and future meetings if you can, so that your voice can be heard.