Dual high school question may go before voters
Jason Hawk | The Chronicle-Telegram
LORAIN — Would you be willing to pay an extra $4 per month to build two new Lorain high schools rather than one?
That question could land in front of voters in the spring, but first the school board would need the blessing of the Ohio departments of taxation and education.
The board voted Wednesday night to explore the possibility of giving residents the final say on whether they want to raise $12 million. That money would be added to the $133 million the state has put forward for new school buildings in Lorain.
Right now, that grant would only pay for the district to build one large, centralized high school to take the place of aging Admiral King and Southview, school board President Jim Smith said.
Board member Paul Biber said there are strong feelings from people who want one school and others who want two.
“I feel the public should have the right to say whether they want that second high school or not,” he said.
Raul Ramos was the only member of the board who opposed the idea of letting voters weigh in. He said his no vote was all about dollars and cents.
“I don’t believe we can afford two high schools. I don’t believe that even if we build two we can afford to run them,” he said.
If residents really want to invest in education, they should get behind the 4.99-mill operating levy that will be on the Nov. 4 ballot, Ramos said.
Smith disagreed with Ramos, saying voters agreed in 2001 to pass a $44 million bond issue with the understanding they would get two new high schools out of the deal.
They might not have agreed to give the Lorain district that cash in return for just one new high school, he said.
This week, schools all over Ohio, including Lorain, are counting the number of students who attend classes. Smith said he is hoping for a high student turnout because the state bases 75 percent of its funding on those numbers.
And the more students who occupy the Lorain Schools’ desks, the more favorably the Ohio School Facilities Commission will look on financing the district’s building project, Smith said.
Declining enrollment is one reason the schools are so desperate for money.
Smith said five or 10 years ago, enrollment was strong enough that Lorain didn’t need to ask voters for levy money. The issue on next month’s ballot is the first new money the district has asked for in 16 years.
Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Jason Hawk | The Chronicle-Telegram October 9th, 2008 in Top Stories. Popularity: 2% |
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