On May 8th, Elida School District residents will have an opportunity that their parents, grandparents and all our district ancestors did not have. In the past, the community had to bear the entire cost of building or modernizing a public-school district facility. In 1997, Ohio started a program to help school districts upgrade or replace aging facilities. Elida Local Schools turn has finally arrived!
The Ohio Facilities Commission and Elida in 2006, reviewed all the buildings in the school district and developed a plan to address the aging infrastructure. The state recommended a new elementary and high school, demolish Gomer, and some improvements to the middle school. The Elida residents supported the new high school in 2008. The district is currently in the process of abating and demolishing Gomer and has made improvements needed at the middle school using existing capital. What remains? To build a new elementary school and receive $18.1 million from the state; that’s over half of the project cost!
Elida Local Schools has hosted two public meetings providing information on the plan. If you have questions or need more information, we encourage you to come to the final public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the elementary. If that date does not fit into your schedule you can visit www.yes4elida.com website to calculate your cost, gather more information or ask a question. In addition, the treasurer and superintendent are always happy to take phone calls from the community.
We’re sure once you look at the facts, you will join us in voting YES on May 8th.
Pat Schymanski, Board President, Elida Board of Education
Brenda Stocker, Vice President, Elida Board of Education
