Troy schools propose new elementaries

A bond issue is on November’s ballot.

Troy City Schools leaders and supporters say a proposed bond issue to build two new elementary schools is a great opportunity for the district and the community.

The 4.61-mill, 30-year request includes the state required 0.50 mills for permanent improvement of the new buildings. The bond issue would cost the owner of a home with a $100,000 value $161 a year, according to the Miami County Auditor’s Office.

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It goes before voters on Nov. 7.

The board of education in August said it would buy 58.57 acres off Ohio 55 and Nashville Road, just west of the city limits, to build the two schools. One school would be for prekindergarten through second grade and the other for third through sixth grades.

The project would bring together six elementary schools and a sixth-grade building.

The cost would be $65.4 million, with $49.3 million paid by local taxpayers and $23.9 million through the state school facilities program. Once a district is on the state construction funding list — this is a first for the Troy City Schools — it has 12 to 18 months to raise the local share, said district Treasurer Jeff Price.

Most of the bond issue money would go toward the building the two schools with the balance going to adding air conditioning to areas of the high school including the cafeteria.

The average age of the district buildings is 70 years, Eric Herman, district superintendent, told those attending a community meeting on the bond issue Oct. 17. “We are just getting older, and we need to think about what we are doing in the future,” he said.

Administrators and board members said the days of schools in multiple neighborhoods are in the past due in part to operating costs and the amount of money it would take to renovate those buildings or replace each one.

“If we remove the emotion, this is a very good plan for the Troy City School District,” said Doug Trostle, a long-time school board member and current board president.

“We think it’s a great opportunity for us,” said board member Joyce Reives.

Among opportunities emphasized during the community meeting were the chances for more staff collaboration within the two elementary building, more handicapped accessibility, an air-conditioned learning environment, more shared facilities, better security and the state sharing in the cost of the buildings.

School officials said there are no plans to cut teaching and other staff members, although some positions might not be filled if someone would leave their employ with the district.

More information on the levy is available on the schools' website at www.troy.k12.oh.us under The Future of Learning section.

Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com.

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