Perrysburg Schools puts $140M bond issue on ballot

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PERRYSBURG – The school district will ask voters to support a levy of up to 6 mills to address student population growth and facility needs.

The Perrysburg Schools Board of Education during a work session Tuesday passed a resolution of necessity for a $140 million bond issue. The issue will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The board will know at its regular meeting on June 20 what the exact millage will be, said Treasurer Randy Drewyor.

He said at a previous meeting he was expecting it to fall between 5.6 mills and 6 mills.

According to numbers previously reported by the board, millage between 5.4 and 6 would cost the owner of a home valued at $250,000 between $39.38 and $43.75 per month.

The bonds will be paid for no more than 36 years.

The interest rate for the issue was increased to 3.9% after discussions with the Wood County Auditor’s Office, Drewyor said.

The board in February heard a presentation by the community facility committee on its work over the past year and learned its recommendations regarding facility needs.

The district will participate in the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to fund a portion of the improvements.

The application for a $41 million reimbursement on a two-phase project has been submitted and a student forecast has been completed. The money would be reimbursed for Phase 1, $140 million, but that phase has to be paid for with local funds.

Phase 1 includes:

A new 800 student K-4 elementary in the southwest part of the district, $33 million

Deferred maintenance at Toth, Woodland and Fort Meigs elementaries, $27.5 million

Up to 40 new high school classrooms, cafeteria additions and site work, $32.5 million

Up to 14 new junior high school classrooms, deferred maintenance and site work, $15.5 million

High school boilers/chillers, $1.5 million

Toth, Woodland and Fort Meigs additions, $23.5 million

Steinecker Stadium restroom, entrance and safety exits, $4.6 million

Transportation garage addition, $1.45 million

Phase 2, which is estimated to cost $63.8 million and start in 2028, includes:

Junior high school additions, deferred maintenance and site work, $29.7 million

Hull Prairie Intermediate additions, $5 million

Multi-purpose space at the high school, $23.3 million

Deferred maintenance at Frank Elementary, $5.8 million

Superintendent Tom Hosler has reported that since 2012, enrollment in the district has grown 19%, or 919 students.

Drewyor said 95% of the students who live in Perrysburg attend Perrysburg schools.

“That’s a huge testimony, that our students are staying with us,” said board member Sue Larimer.

Also at the meeting, the board:

• Heard a lengthy presentation by Hosler on the status of the state budget and its impact on school funding.

He said the push is to get legislators to use 2022 data to determine funding, rather than the 2018 data that was previously used.

Hosler said if 2018 data is used, the state share provided to Perrysburg will fall from $1,462 per student in fiscal year 2023 to $731 per student in fiscal year 2027 and state funding would fall from $7.45 million to $3.39 million during that same time.

If 2022 data is used, the state share will increase to $1,639 per student and $9.11 million, he said.

It will take 4.8 mills to make up the $5 million difference, Hosler said, or $588 per year for a $350,000 valued home.

He also said the state needs to look at the guaranteed funding formula now in use in more than 300 school districts and the funding cap that harms growing districts such as Perrysburg.

• Accepted resignations from Tiffanie Ghesquire and Emily Conley, both Frank Elementary reading teachers, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year; and Sheila Horseman, high school executive assistant, effective June 22.

Approved one-year limited contracts for Makenna Curson, Fort Meigs kindergarten teacher; Kelsey Guilliam, Woodland intervention specialist; Jaclyn Burke, Woodland third grade teacher; Ashley Svec, junior high science teacher; Melissa Clark, speech/language pathologist; Chad McCarty, Hull Prairie intervention specialist; and Kasey Bailey, Frank and Toth kindergarten teacher.

• Approved the retirement of Herbert Gatwood, bus driver, effective Aug. 1.

• Announced it will hold a records commission meeting on June 20 at 5 p.m., prior to the regular meeting.

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