Jonathan Alder Local Schools continues to look for property for the district’s next building project—replacement of Plain City Elementary.
On Oct. 14, school board members and district administrators met in executive session, after which Superintendent Doug Carpenter stated that a land purchase has not yet been negotiated.
Carpenter said school representatives are working with Plain City officials in hopes of keeping the school building inside village limits.
“Right now we are trying to find a building location that we can all agree on at a price that we can afford,’’ he said, adding that an expansion of the existing building is not a viable option.
“That building sits on only three acres, so building onto the structure is not really an option,’’ he said.
The district set aside approximately $200,000 a few years ago to buy land for the project. The set-aside was made after voters approved funding for a multi-phase building program. The first phase included the new high school and the reconstructed Monroe Elementary.
In other business, District Treasurer Janis Thom reported that expected state budget cuts for the school year should not affect the district year as the cuts primarily involve state grants. On the other hand, initial estimates from the Madison County Auditor’s Office show that the district’s share in property tax this year may be flatlined due to the economy.
“So far, we’ve only heard from Madison County on property taxes but it doesn’t look like we are going to see any increase or a significant decrease in property taxes coming into us this year,’’ Thom said. The Jonathan Alder School District lies in a three-county area, including portions of Union, Franklin and Madison counties.
The board is considering a request to add boys’ tennis as a new spring sport at the high school. Another possibility is offering it as a club activity. Cost of transportation of players to and from tennis matches is among the issues the board is weighing.
The school board will meet again at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 in the board’s conference room at Jonathan Alder High School.
