NEW BREMEN — New Bremen voters will be asked to pass a levy for a new school when they go to the polls May 2.
The New Bremen Board of Education voted during their regular meeting, Wednesday, to ask local citizens to approve the issuing of bonds and the levying of a 7.46-mill, 30-year property tax to build a school that will house students in kindergarten through eighth-grade. Also part of the request is a 1-mill levy for permanent improvements that would replace the current .68-mill permanent improvement tax.
If the measure passes in May, collection of the new taxes would begin in 2018. So would building construction, on a site designated behind the high school. The new elementary would open for use in 2020.
The building is projected to cost $20,041,930. State monies will cover $5,676,185 of it. The remaining $14,365,745 must be raised by the school district.
The bonds would bear interest at the estimated rate of 5.1 percent annually. The revenue that would be generated by the levy during the first year of collection would be $114,913, based on the current tax valuation of the school district of $114,913,370. The actual millage rate collected will be based on the current assessed values and the final fixed interest rate on the bonds.
The annual cost to a taxpayer who owns a home with a value of $155,900 — the median value of a New Bremen house — would be $501.88. That includes the permanent improvement levy and the new building levy. A homeowner 65 or older would pay a little less: $436.60.
The New Bremen High School bonds will be paid off this year. That prompted school officials to think about upgrading the elementary building. It was built in 1929 and additions were completed in 1955, 1963, 1968, 1970 and 1991. If a new school is constructed, the old one will be demolished.
“The Ohio Schools Facility Commission and our architects, Garmann Miller, came in. Both conducted assessments and both agreed several renovations needed to be done,” said Superintendent Dr. Andrea Townsend. “We looked at a complete remodel that would have cost $25 million, a partial remodel at $20 million, a new K-6 building and moving (grades) seven and eight (into the high school building)” in addition to a new K-8 building.
Planners then convened community forums to discuss the various options.
“The community selected the option of a K to 8 building here. Sixty-eight percent selected that. The other choice was a new K to 6 building,” Townsend said.
The board met in organizational session before the regular session. At that time, members elected Tom Paul as board president and Cory Suchland as vice president.
In other organizational business, the board:
• Set meeting dates for the year.
• Appointed the superintendent as purchasing agent, special education officer and the district’s representative for state and federal programs and for public records and authorized her to employ temporary personnel in emergency situations, make offers to potential employees and accept resignations when the board is not in session, with the treasurer to write off bad debts for school fees and to attend professional meetings.
• Authorized the purchase of performance bonds in the amount of $20,000 each for the board president, the superintendent and the treasurer.
• Designated the First National Bank as depository of school district funds through 2018 and Huntington Bank, Multi-Bank Securities and Fifth Third Bank as investment brokers.
• Authorized the board president, treasurer and superintendent to sign certificates to verify that sufficient funds are available when agreements are ratified.
• Authorized the treasurer to pay bills, request advances on taxes, modify budget appropriations, credit interest earned to appropriate funds and attend professional meetings.
• Authorized the ongoing assistance of the state auditor’s office for GAAP accounting.
• Appointed the high school guidance counselor as the district’s records control officer and testing coordinator for grades 9-12 and the elementary school guidance counselor as testing coordinator for grades K-8.
• Established a service fund for the board in the amount of $10,000.
• Appointed board members to committees as follows: Scott Bertke, Tri Star Career Compact Advisory, Ohio School Boards Association legislative liaison/delegate and Building and Grounds Committee; Doug Hall, Cardinal Pride representative, New Bremen Teachers Association Negotiations Committee, Village Annex/Abatement/CIC member and Buildings and Grounds Committee; Cory Suchland, Athletic Council representative, Finance Committee and Student Achievement liaison; Shelly Busse, Athletic council representative, Technology Committee and New Bremen Education Foundation; Tom Paul, New Bremen Teachers Association Negotiations Committee, and Ag Advisory Committee.
In other business during the regular session, the board:
• Hired Bob Parker as a substitute bus driver.
• Approve permanent appropriations totalling $11,028,203.90 for fiscal year 2017.
• Learned that Townsend has proclaimed January as School Board Recognition Month in New Bremen.
• Was informed that 25 school employees have contracts that will expire at the end of this school year.
• Postponed a discussion of whether to sell elementary school furnishings in a yard sale or an auction if the levy passes.
• Went into executive session to discuss an appointment or evaluation. No action was taken following the executive session.
