WEST CHESTER, Ohio — A nearly $600 million overhaul of Lakota Local School District's future hangs on the will of voters in West Chester and Liberty Township to hike their own property taxes after the November election.
Treasurer Adam Zink and Superintendent Ashley Whitely spent Thursday evening laying out the plan in front of those potential voters at the West Chester Boys and Girls Club.
Many in the crowd of a couple dozen were wary to pay additional property tax in a time of widespread price increases.
"I'm not happy about it," said Carolynne Johnson who's lived next to Adena Elementary for 18 years.
Adena is one of nine buildings to be leveled as part of the facilities plan, with six of the schools to be replaced by the construction of four new elementary schools.
WATCH: We visit schools to be demolished and talk to Lakota's leaders
Johnson said she believed the existing buildings were fine for the district's future.
"We're seniors. We can't afford any more increases with that," she said.
Whitely said, legally, her job was to inform and not to persuade voters one way or the other, but she said the plan would allow the district to add programming, reduce class sizes and avoid an operational levy vote in 2028 that wouldn't cost property owners more without benefit.
"I think it's kind of now and you got a lot of extra, or later and you're in a maintaining mode with exactly what we have," she said.
Zink said the additional benefits at a lower cost were possible because fewer overall facilities and expanded or renovated existing properties would allow for more efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
"We're trying to shift as many dollars as we can from operating the facilities and the district to directly educating the kids in the district," he said.
Zink said the district would also benefit from an Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) investment into the district to co-fund 32% of the cost to replace "deficient" buildings. The district said those buildings would be: Adena, Freedom, Heritage, Woodland, Liberty Junior, Hopewell Junior, Hopewell ECS, Shawnee and Central Creekside and West Freshman.
Schools rated "Borderline" by OFCC and slated for renovation were Cherokee, Independence and Ridge.
OFCC listed Endeavor, Lakota West, Lakota East, Union, VanGorden, Wyandot, Liberty ECS, East Freshman and Plains as satisfactory, but renovations are on the table at those schools as well.
Whitely said if voters reject the bond issue in November then the school board would likely consider bringing it back to the voters in either May or November of 2026.
If passed, construction on additional space for grades 6-12 would begin in 2026 and expected to be complete by the end of 2028. New elementary schools would be completed in 2029 with demolition on older structures to begin in 2030.
