PERRYSBURG – A new school for grades 5 and 6 would be built under a proposal outlined during a board work
session this morning.
The plan developed by the district’s strategic facilities committee calls for the dividing elementary
grades, with 5/6 in a new building and kindergarten through fourth-grade students filling the four
existing elementary schools. The existing alignment has K-5 in elementaries and grades 6-8 at the junior
high.
The school board will consider the proposal at 5:30 p.m. Monday, with possible approval in June. The
strategic facilities committee is made up of 16 community members supported by district staff.
Superintendent Tom Hosler said putting fifth and sixth grades together makes the most academic sense.
"There’s a natural link there in terms of what they do and what they cover instructionally," he
said.
Overcrowding has become a consistent concern in the expanding school district, which used 20 portable
classrooms at the elementary level this year because new students outnumbered available seats. It
currently leases five classrooms from Maumee for preschool.
The district has grown by 600 students since the high school was built in 2001, the equivalent of an
entire elementary school. If the trend continues, which Hosler said is likely, yet another elementary
building could be needed in 10 years, as well as an addition to the high school.
"During this time we’ve also seen fewer students leave the district once they start, and that
contributes to growing enrollment as well," Hosler said.
"It’s a tough situation because we can’t control growth."
The district will likely pursue a levy in November, though potential millage isn’t available, nor are
cost estimates for a building.
It’s possible a levy attempt could be drawn up to include funds for necessary projects at existing
schools, such as air-conditioning at the junior high, which has been previously discussed.
The school board has met several times in closed session to discuss real estate, but potential locations
for a new school haven’t been revealed.
Hosler was optimistic that, if approved by voters, new tax collections will coincide with the end of a
1.85-mill levy in 2015, used to build Fort Meigs Elementary in 1990.
Depending on the bond structure of the would-be levy for new building, it could cost as little as $7 more
per month for the owner of a $200,000 home, according to district information.
"We need to do something that’s prudent and the voters can understand and support," Hosler
said. "This community is what it is today because of the schools.
"The one thing that came out of the committee is that doing nothing is not an option."
Alternate options that weren’t recommended by the committee included a new junior high on the high school
campus and designating the current junior high for grades 5 and 6, or building a new K-4 building and
converting one elementary school into a 5-6 building.
Board member Sue Larimer asked why the Commodore Building couldn’t be used for instruction rather than
board office, which she said was a common question by community members.
Hosler explained the many community and school uses for the building, and board member Walt Edinger said
moving administrative offices to another location and using the Commodore for instruction wouldn’t
result in much savings.
"We hear this all the time about this particular site," Hosler said.
"It really doesn’t make any economical sense," Edinger said.