A message from Superintendent McKenzie:
Most of Groveport Madison's buildings were built in the
60s and 70s. They have served our students and our greater community
well for decades. But each day they get a little older and a little
more worn. They are never going to be as young as they are today, and
so we must ask ourselves how much longer can we go without making major
renovations to them or even replacing them.
Participants in the second Community Forum April 15 unanimously voted for Option 2 as their preferred choice.
Currently, our district qualifies for funding from the
State's Ohio
Facilities Commission (OSFC) to build or renovate school buildings. For
every qualifying dollar that Groveport Madison spends on building
renovations or even to build new schools, the state will contribute
$.43 while the district pays $.57. You've seen many of our neighboring
districts utilize the OSFC to
improve the instructional facilities for their children. If we don't
tap this resource soon, one can only guess how much longer this money
may be available from the state.
Steering Committee
The formation of a Steering Committee was the first step in
the process guided by Chuck Warner, an architect and educational planner
with
Warner Concepts LLC.The Steering
Committee met twice to prepare materials and plan for the first of two
Community
Forums held on March 11.
The formation of a Steering Committee was the first step in
the process guided by Chuck Warner, an architect and educational planner
with
Warner Concepts LLC. The Steering
Committee met twice to prepare materials and plan for the first of two
Community
Forums held on March 11. The Steering Committee, headed by Pastor Steve Bulen and Christine
Boucher, met again on March 30 to determine options.
Options for consideration at the April 15 meeting
At the March 30th meeting, the Steering Committee
approved offering the following options for consideration at the
Community
Forum on April 15.
Option 2 (eligible for Ohio School Facilities
Commission
funding)
- Build 5 new elementary buildings (2 new sites
and 3 on existing sites – Sedalia, Glendening and Dunloe)
- Build 2 new middle schools on existing sites (MS
North and South)
- Build 1 new high school on existing site(GMHS)
- Groveport Elementary and Junior High to be
determined (repurposed)
Locally Funded Initiatives and their costs were also discussed at the meeting. So amounts will be added to the cost of the district's share for the master facilities plan.
Board of Education meeting
At the May 13th meeting of the Board of Education, Christine Boucher and Pastor Bulen recommended that the Board approve Option 2 as the recommendation of the Steering Committee. The Board approved the motion and the proposal is now sent to the Ohio School Facilities Commission for acceptance.
News from the Ohio School facilities Commission - remarks made by Superintendent McKenzie at May 13, Board of Education meeting
Over the past several months, members of our community, our master facilities planning committee under the leadership of community members Christine Boucher and Pastor Steve Bulen, as well as , district administration, and board of education members have worked in conjunction with our architects and educational planner to develop a master facilities plan. This plan that the committee created will be presented tonight. Those of us sitting here tonight, Treasurer Swartz, our board of education, and myself are extremely proud of your efforts and hard work.
The good feelings that some with a job well done, and this was well done, must be tempered with some information that we have just received from the Ohio School Facility Commission. Mr. Swartz, Mr. Ricchi and I were told late yesterday that there is a possibility that we may not be funded in this summer's OSFC cycle. Through a complex set of OSFC practices that involve the funding of districts that have recently passed bonds after failed attempts and our place on the priority list, it looks as if there may only be 10 districts funded this year and we are number 12 on their list. This is not a certainty either way, because so much depends on what those other 10 districts that are ahead of our district in the line, decide to do.
all hopes are not lost, however. After listening to our presentation it will be my recommendation that the Board accept the Master Facilities Plan and forward the plan to OSFC. That way we can stay in the OSFC process. Not accepting, and not passing the plan along to the OSFC, is like saying that we disavow the need. Sending the plan on to the OSFC is our message to the state that our students are still here. . . the needs are still here. . . and that we will not go away until our students' educational facilities needs are met.
Over the next couple of weeks we will be told whether our plan meets OSFC muster. We then will bring back the plan for your vote at our June meeting to officially apply to them for funding. Then in July, we will know whether we will be funded this year or not. So until then I recommend that we stay the course and do what we know is best for the young persons and their families that we serve.
Groveport Madison's schools
•Asbury Elementary, built in 1963 with additions in 1968 and 1969.
•Dunloe Elementary, built in 1967 with additions in 1968 and 1969.
•Glendening Elementary, built in 1968 with an addition in 1974.
•Groveport Elementary, built in 1923 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
•Madison Elementary, built in 1967 with additions in 1968 and 1969.
•Sedalia Elementary, built in 1969 with an addition in 1974.
•Middle School North, built in 1975.
•Middle School South, built in 1975.
•Junior High, built in stages between 1952-56 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
•High School, built in stages between 1966-70 with an addition in 1975.
(Information provided by Rick Palsgrove, editor of The Southeast Messenger)
Master Facilities Plan steering committee meetings and public community forums schedule
•March 11, 6-8 p.m., high school cafeteria, community forum #1 to gather input from the public about facilities.
•April 1, 6-8 p.m., high school cafeteria: steering committee meeting to develop facility options.
•April 15, 6-8 p.m., high school cafeteria, community forum #2 where facility options will be presented to be evaluated by the public.
•May 6, 6-8 p.m., high school cafeteria: steering committee meeting to finalize facility options and recommendations.
•May 13, 7 p.m., Steering committee presentation of master facilities plan recommendations to the Groveport Madison Board of Education for the board's consideration.
June-July Ohio School Facilities Commission will consider Groveport Madison Master Facilities Plan. |