The North Royalton Board of Education voted on a resolution that will ultimately place a bond issue on the November ballot. On Wednesday, June 15, the Board voted unanimously on a resolution of necessity to place the measure on the November 8 ballot.
This comes after two meetings on June 6 and June 9, where they discussed the recent community survey on the proposed facilities plan.
The North Royalton School District recently distributed to gain input from the community one last time on the proposed district facilities plan. The survey was mailed to every household in the school district, which spans North Royalton and part of Broadview Heights. It was also offered online.
This comes after six community meetings, the last held when the district hosted a meeting earlier this year, where a presentation was given on the recommendations of the North Royalton City Schools’ Community Engagement Task Force, attended by about 200 people.
According to School officials, “the Community Engagement Task Force has recommended to the Board a plan to address the educational and facility needs of all students and provide opportunities and classes required for student-centered learning. The plan includes building one new elementary school to house all PK-4 students; renovating the middle school; and demolishing/rebuilding all portions of the high school built prior to 1976 and renovating portions that were built after 1976. For the past year, the residents of North Royalton, as well as staff, have been engaged in this issue through surveys, coffee discussions, public meetings, and many other forums.”
The resolution has been submitted to the county fiscal officer for millage certification and a June 21 meeting scheduled to vote on a resolution to proceed “with the submission of a bond issue and permanent improvement to the electors on the November 8, 2016 ballot.” The county will certify the millage and the monthly cost, if the measure were to pass.
According to School Superintendent Greg Gurka, “the bond issue would be for $88,900,000. Here is a breakdown of the costs:
Total project cost: $94,837,207
Ohio Facilities Construction Commission Funding: $4,536,267
Local Funding Commitment: $1,500,000
Bond Issue: $88,900,000″
The Board would need to pass the resolution to proceed to place a bond issue on the November ballot before the August 10 deadline of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer