DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Students are back in the classroom at Oak Hills Local School District (OHLSD) starting Thursday, and the district is now hoping parents and neighbors will return to the polls in November to pass a newly introduced bond issue.
OHLSD announced the bond issue Wednesday, which would be broken up into two phases if it happens.
WATCH: More about OHLSD's bond issue that will appear on November ballots
If approved, Phase I, funded by local dollars, would build a new Delhi Middle School and Springmyer Elementary School. The first phase would also air-condition Oak Hills High School and Bridgetown Middle School, according to the district.
The district's master plan noted that Bridgetown Middle School's air conditioning is contingent on state funding availability. Phase I is tentatively set for 2026-2029.
Phase II, which the State of Ohio would fund, would build a new Bridgetown Middle School. Phase II's timeline is tentatively set for 2029-2032.
If everything is approved, this plan would replace the district's three oldest buildings.
I met with Julie Rose and Erin Wienewith, who are Springmyer Elementary parents and members of The Citizens Committee for Oak Hills Schools.
The two local moms helped the district bring this bond to life.
Weinewuth called the plan "a no-brainer."
"We selected Springmyer and Delhi because they are some of our oldest buildings, and those areas are also communities that continue to grow,” Rose said.
I also spoke with Tori Nienaber, another Springmyer mom who is not on the Citizens Committee, about the need for upgrades at schools in her district.
"These are the schools that are like off every year at the beginning of every school year because it's way too hot and unbearable to be in there," Nienaber said.
Last summer, Oak Hills High School was one of the local schools having early dismissals due to a late summer heat wave.
The district's Facebook announcement informed residents that this bond would have "an unprecedented zero tax increase to residents."
I read through the comments on OHLSD's announcement post and saw some residents skeptical of the district's information. I brought those concerns directly to Oak Hills Treasurer Steve Bain.
“Our community supported our last bond issue in 1997, that was Rapid Run Middle School. Rapid Run Middle School will be paid off at the end of this calendar year. So, the dollars that are being committed to Rapid Run Middle School, we’re asking our community to reinvest those dollars, recommit,” Bain said.
Bain informed me that the cost for residents is $74 per year on a $100,000 home on a homeowner's property tax, a cost that would continue if the bond is approved.
The plan reports that the State of Ohio would fund over 50% of the project in Phase II.
"The overall project for local funding would be about $68 million. The state would write the check for $70 million,” Bain said.
I asked the district's treasurer how OHLSD would respond if voters say no in November.
"If the community does not support this levy, our board and our administrative team will have discussions with our community at that time to determine next steps," Bain said.
Bain described this bond as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community.” He also told me the district plans to build new schools at their current sites to ensure no student is displaced.
You can read more about the details of the November 4 bond issue here.
