ROSSFORD – The Rossford Board of Education was playing games Wednesday night.
Those games, though, had a serious purpose, to try to determine the direction the school district should
take in the wake of last November’s overwhelming defeat of its building program.
The game, devised by board member Brian Hughes, called on board members to put together various cards
that indicated their preferences among various building options. But those options also came with other
cards that indicated costs and savings associated with the options. These were based on the district
borrowing money at 5 percent for 37 years.
The idea, explained Hughes, who served as board president during the failed bond campaign, is for the
board to find an option all members could support. Last year, Dawn Burks and Jackie Brown, voted against
the plan that was put on the ballot, though both supported its passage during the campaign.
After a couple hours of discussion though that single option became several. In the end, according to
Treasurer Jamie Rossler, the board did not reach consensus on options they could support.
Still the discussion indicated the direction the school district was going in – toward the site of the
Glenwood school.
Though four of the five members – Burks, Brown, new board president Ken Sutter and Diane McKinney – all
supported keeping the high school in the downtown, there was solid support for a consolidated elementary
school at Glenwood as well as a middle school on the site.
These weren’t though necessarily their preferred options. The exercise started by asking board members
for their ideal option. Burks wanted the downtown high school renovated with a middle school and
consolidated elementary at Glenwood. McKinney and Hughes wanted all three new schools at Glenwood.
Sutter and Brown wanted a new high school downtown with the middle and elementary schools at Glenwood.
Rossler agreed with the plan backed by Sutter and Brown, though on the financing he insisted that
revenue generated by enterprise zone payments in lieu of taxes be designated for school repairs and
maintenance rather than be used to pay for school building. That concept gained support among board
members.
Superintendent Susan Lang opted not to participate.
But these were in Brown’s phrase a "fantasy world."
Kathy LaSota, a facilitator from the Ohio School Bards Association, then moved the discussion to
"what can you sell."
With that shift came another possibility – renovating and continuing to use Eagle Point Elementary, one
of the district’s three elementary schools. Several people entertained that option, though Hughes said
that would negate some of the savings of consolidating operations.
It would, however, mollify some voters concerned about losing neighborhood elementary schools.
Brown also indicated there was state money available at no-interest, but it needed to be used for
renovations.
But the location of the high school continued to be a linchpin of the discussion. Burks said that the
schools needed to remain "the heart of Rossford," that meant keeping the football stadium
where it is, and keeping the high school downtown.
The high school, she said, provides more activity because students are old enough to leave the school
walk to the public library, the city recreation center and local restaurants.
Hughes, however, questioned whether the location of the high school was that big a factor. After all, he
said, voters in the township also rejected the plan, which failed by an almost 2 to 1 margin. That was a
37-year, 5.99-mill bond levy that would have funded the $50 million first phase of an overall $87
million project. That plan would have located the high school and middle school at Glenwood and the
consolidated elementary downtown at a later date.
Hughes also said that the existing high school is "a money pit."
Burks insisted that "we must get the public involved."
Hughes, however, said the "buck stops with us."
"Ultimately," Brown said, "the public must vote on it."
The board will meet next Jan. 24.