SPARTA — A special election will be held Aug. 5 for residents in the Highland Local school district. The board of education is once again asking the community to support a 4.4-mill levy to build a new high school, renovate the existing high school into a middle school, and renovate the middle school/Central Elementary complex to house all of the district’s elementary students.
Because property owners in the district are already paying 2.2 mills, the new levy reflects an effective increase of only 2.2 mills. If the new levy passes, treasurer Jon Mason said, the county auditor will stop collecting the current 2.2 mills.
Mason also said the 4.4 mills is only one-fourth of the cost estimated to provide Highland students with adequate educational facilities. The state of Ohio, through the Ohio School Facilities Commission, will provide the other 75 percent, under a current agreement. August, he continued, is the last chance for the district to “lock in” the 25/75 split.
Because the cost of building and repairs goes up every day, by waiting, said Mason, residents would have to pay a larger percentage of a project that continues to rise in cost. Mason explained that a new OSFC formula would result in the district having to ask voters for 6.6 mills, placed on the ballot in 2009, and 7.2 mills if the issue is delayed until 2010.
“If the levy fails,” Mason said, “we’re going to be spending a lot of our own money just to fix old buildings and bring them up to current standards.”
“By building now,” said Highland superintendent Tim Hilborn, “with the support of the OSFC, we get $3 for every $1 we would spend. This is the time to invest in improvements that will last well into the future.”
