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Madison-Plains: Both sides weigh in as election day approaches
(by Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor - July 21, 2010)
With the Aug. 3 special election fast approaching, proponents and opponents of the Madison-Plains Local Schools’ bond issue request continue to get their respective messages out to voters in the district.
The “Supporters of Madison-Plains” campaign group manned an information booth at the recent week-long Madison County Fair. The “Tri Elementary Preservation Association” has been holding weekly meetings.
The ballot request calls for construction of one new building for kindergarten through 12th graders, to be located on the existing Linson Road campus. The 6.99-mill bond issue has a maximum pay-back term of 28 years. The cost of the bond issue would be $214 per year for the owner of a home valued at $100,000.
If passed, the bond issue would cover 64 percent of the cost of the building. The state, through the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC), would pay the other 36 percent. This offer from the state expires with the Aug. 3 election.
“Supporters of Madison-Plains”
Members of “Supporters of Madison-Plains” say the bond issue is a chance to provide students with a modern facility with the state picking up part of the tab.
The benefits, they say, would include up-to-date technology, access to a school nurse and other personnel every day, a consistent learning environment when it comes to temperature control, lighting and air quality, and “a cohesive student body that can work and learn together to build a strong community.”
School leaders have already decided to close the Madison Rural and Mount Sterling elementaries at the end of the 2010-11 school year, no matter what happens with the Aug. 3 election. They have stated they do not want to continue to spend money on repairs to the aging buildings.
For this reason and the fact that the state’s offer through the exceptional needs program expires with this election, Leah Davison and other members of the campaign group are stressing the urgent need for the bond issue’s passage.
“We need to pull together as one community. The possibilities are endless if we draw together,” Davison said.
At a recent school board meeting, Madison-Plains resident Joe Cartmille said he has thought about the school building issue “a great deal” and decided he was going to vote for the bond issue. He is a veteran who joined the military “to give this country back something.”
He said his mindset is the same when it comes to the school issue.
“There isn’t enough we can do for these children to compete” in today’s education and work environment, he said. “I’m unemployed and don’t have extra money but... I’ll find it.”
For more information about the bond issue, call the Madison-Plains Local Schools central office at (740) 852-0290.
“Tri Elementary Preservation Assn.”
Members of the Tri Elementary Preservation Association (TEPA) oppose the all-in-one building plan because it would take schools out of communities.
“Schools anchor communities. Without them, you turn into a ghost town,” said Sue Shilling, a member of the opposition group. “The levy supporters talk about coming together as one big school community, but if we don’t have little villages, enrollment will keep dropping.”
TEPA members say a single K-12 building could result in a loss of teachers whose drive time would increase and would make parental involvement more difficult. They also say the building would be too far from future growth in the district and a create a long-term financial burden for property owners who are “already over-taxed.”
They suggest the district renovate the district’s existing buildings. Their research turned up professionals with experience in preserving older buildings, including Franklin Conaway, a redevelopment consultant from Chillicothe, and Robert Loversidge, president and CEO of Schooley Caldwell Associates, both of whom attended a recent school board meeting.
“Neighborhood schools are important to maintaining livable communities,” Con-away said. “We think there is a reasonable solution to keep your three elementaries.” He and Loversidge requested a meeting with school leaders to talk about the possibilities.
The Tri Elementary Preservation Association’s next meeting is July 27 at 7 p.m. in the Pleasant Township Hall, 84 N. London St., Mount Sterling.
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