The latest Canton, Stark County must-read stories
Here are some stories you may have missed over the last week in Stark County.
- The Plain Local School Board is moving to place a $116.8 million bond issue on the November ballot after it was rejected by voters in May.
- The bond issue would fund the construction of three new elementary schools, costing homeowners $122.50 annually per $100,000 in home valuation.
- If the bond is not approved, the district risks losing $120 million in state funding for school construction in May 2027.
- The school board also approved a new three-year contract with its public school employees union, which includes annual raises and increased health insurance contributions.
CANTON − Plain Local Schools will again ask voters to approve a bond issue to build new elementary schools.
The school board on June 10 initiated the process to put the 37-year, $116.8 million issue on the November ballot. The same issue was rejected by voters last month.
The vote was unanimous and took place after no discussion by the board. The resolution requests that the Stark County auditor certify the millage of the bond issue, how much it would raise and how much it would cost each property owner.
The board is expected to vote at a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. June 30 to place the issue on the Nov. 3 ballot. The deadline to submit a tax issue to the Stark County Board of Elections is Aug. 5.
Plain Local voters rejected issue in May
In the May 5 primary election, nearly 53% of voters cast ballots against a 3.5-mill levy that would have raised $6.11 million a year for 37 years to repay the $116.8 million borrowed, plus a significant amount of interest. The vote was 5,635 against to 5,023 in support.
The cost to a homeowner would have been $122.50 per year for every $100,000 in home valuation.
Superintendent Brent May said if voters do not approve the bond issue, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission will cancel $120 million in state funding available to the district to cover the upfront cost of school construction. The district must reimburse the commission.
“And so for us to leave that money so to speak on the table, we don’t want to do that,” said May. “The other thing is we have aging buildings.”
Plain Local wants to consolidate the district’s six elementary schools into the three new buildings.
May said the district’s school buildings, besides GlenOak High School, are an average of 71 years old. By building the new schools, the district will save about $45 million in operational costs over 10 to 15 years, he added. That will help the district avoid asking voters for property tax increases to fund school operations. The district’s annual operating budget is about $71 million.
May said the district would provide voters more specifics on the plans for each of the school buildings and their properties in advance of the November election.
“We’re going to explain what we’re going to do on each of those sites. We’re going to have drawings of what the buildings may look like,” said May. “We’re going to demonstrate to the community we heard you. We’ve heard they may want to know what the buildings may look like. If we’re not using a site, what may we use that site for. So we’re going to get into those things and clarify that for our community.”
Plain Local approves union contract
Separately, the board approved a three-year contract effective July 1 with the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 293. The union includes all classified district employees, except bus drivers, bus aides and bus mechanics.
The employees will get a 2.5% salary increase the first year, 2.25% increase the second year and a 2% increase the third year. May said the union agreed for workers, who now pay for 15% of the cost of employer-subsidized health insurance premiums, to pay 16% of the cost of health insurance premiums the first year, 16.5% the second year and 17% the third year. May said those percentages also will apply to administrators, including him.
School district officials said on June 10 they did not have available the number of union members impacted and the total cost of the raises in the contract.
Reach Robert at [email protected].
