[ back ]
Groveport Madison starts bond issue process
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - June 14, 2010)
The Groveport Madison Board of Education has begun the process of placing a bond issue on the November ballot.
At its June 10 meeting, the board unanimously approved a resolution requesting the state's consent for the proposed $164.7 million bond issue. This resolution is needed because the bond issue amount exceeds 4 percent of the district's assessed valuation.
The next steps in the process will be the board's approval of a resolution of necessity on July 14 that will be sent to the Franklin County Auditor to certify the estimated bond issue millage. After the auditor's certification, the school board has until July 30 to vote to file with the Franklin County Board of Elections to place the bond issue on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The board is proceeding with the bond issue effort despite being informed on May 13 by the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission (OSFC) that state funding may not be available this year for the district's plans to construct new school buildings.
Groveport Madison Superintendent Scott McKenzie said the district should know by the end of July if OSFC funds are available for 2010-11. If not, McKenzie said the OSFC is fully funded for 2011-12 and that Groveport Madison "should be in the top handful" of schools eligible for the funding then.
"Through a complex set of OSFC practices that involve the funding of districts that have recently passed bonds after failed attempts, and our place on the priority list, it looks as if there may only be 10 districts funded this year and we are number 12 on the state's list," McKenzie said.
However, McKenzie said, that by the board's actions to proceed, the district can stay in the OSFC process and send a message to the state that "...our students are still here and the needs are still here...all hopes are not lost."
The proposed bond issue
The potential bond issue would determine the fate of the district's 10 aging school buildings, which includes two structures - Groveport Elementary and the junior high - on the National Register of Historic Places.
Under the bond issue plan, the OSFC would fund 43 percent of the costs for new buildings with Groveport Madison paying for 57 percent.
The proposed bond issue calls for:
•building five new 500 student elementary schools, two new 750 student middle schools, and a new 1,500 student high school;
•demolishing: Asbury, Dunloe, Glendening, Madison, Sedalia, Middle School North, Middle School South, and the high school; (The board would have the final decision on whether any of these buildings are demolished or potentially used for other purposes.);
•repurposing Groveport Elementary and the junior high school.
The estimated total cost of the bond issue is $164.7 million. The OSFC share, if it is obtained, would be $70.8 million. Groveport Madison's share would be $93.9 million, which would result in an estimated $168 annual increase in property taxes for a $100,000 home.
Additionally, locally funded initiatives (LFI), are being considered that are not eligible for OSFC funds, totalling between $26.3 to $32 million. These include;
•15 additional classrooms for grades K-2 so classroom size can be reduced from 25 to 20 students;
•science labs and technology labs at the five new elementary schools;
•a 750 fixed seat auditorium for the high school;
•athletic fields at the middle schools and high school;
•computer technology at eight schools; and
•land purchase and site improvements.
The LFIs would raise the total cost of Groveport Madison's share of the project to an estimated $125.1 million, pushing the estimated increase in annual property taxes for a $100,000 home to $224.
The plan proposes to build the new buildings on existing school sites, except for at Asbury and Madison, which are in floodplains. The district owns property in the northeast portion of its boundaries and could seek to purchase additional land elsewhere for building sites.
Groveport Madison's 2009-10 enrollment is 5,580 students. By 2019-20 the district is projected to have 5,613 students. The plan is to accommodate 25 students per classroom in grades 3-12.
[ back ]
