THE?BUCKEYE Local School District was formed in 1964 as the result of a major consolidation of the following: Adena, Brilliant, Dillonvale, Mt. Pleasant, Smithfield, Yorkville. Additionally, a small portion of Harrisville's district transferred to the new district being formed, rather than remain in Harrison County.
Dillonvale What a difference a day makes, is a phrase that likely came to mind for many in the Buckeye Local School District on Wednesday, Aug. 5, the day after voters defeated a proposed bond issue that would have paved the way for the biggest shift in the district's physical resources in more than 20 years.
Following the defeat on August 4 of the proposed bond issue, the district's board of education members and the superintendent of schools, Mark Miller found they were face to face with a bad situation which was only expected to get worse.
Voters were told many times in the months before the election a defeat of the proposed levy would see the board move swiftly in an effort to stem the rapidly deteriorating financial health of the district.
Within days of the vote, and with all board members present and participating, a unanimous vote was taken which instructed the superintendent to close two schools at the end of the current school year.
A related reduction in force was also called for from among the district's non-teaching personnel with more than a dozen employees to see their scheduled work hours reduced.
To be closed at the end of the current school year are West Elementary School in Adena and North Middle School in Brilliant.
Students who would have gone to West Elementary in Adena will, with the start of the 2010-2011 school year, be dispersed across the remaining three remaining elementary schools in Smithfield, Brilliant and Yorkville.
Students who would have attended North Middle School in Brilliant will now attend Southwest Middle School in Tiltonsville.
"Though the Southwest building is actually older than North Middle it has benefitted from previous major improvements and upgrades, making it in overall better condition. Targeted by those improvements were the school's electrical system, heating system, windows and the roof. It is also larger and can accommodate the shift of students easily.
"The building in Brilliant building could not do that if the situation were reversed," said Miller
Particular attention is being paid to make the transition as seamless as possible for the members of the current North Middle student body who are visually impaired, said Miller.
Additionally, at the Tiltonsville building, funds will have to be found to cover essential repairs, renovations and upgrades which have already been identified.
Board members further decided the margin of defeat was too great, and the related cost of another vote too costly to justify putting the matter before voters in the November 2009.
The announced changes angered voters, and protests of vindictiveness were laid at the feet of the school board and the superintendent.
Change is tough and difficult for everyone," said Miller in an interview held several days after the closures and cutbacks were announced.
" It is very important to understand, our job is to have a focus on whatever is best for all our students. I will not be part of something that will hurt our children. We will, however, make whatever cuts are necessary to give our kids the best education possible," said Miller recently.
"There are no laws regulating the length of a bus ride. That information can be verified on the Ohio Department of Education website. Our bus fleet currently travels 2,000 miles each school day, which supports the well known fact that 90 percent of Buckeye Local School district's students ride a school bus now. With these changes and the resulting adjustments to the bus routes, only eight percent of the students will have a longer bus ride then they do now," said Miller.
Miller responded to the public questioning of why any buildings needed to be close, with particular concerns voiced about choosing to close a building far younger than the structure to which the students are to be reassigned.
Current enrollment levels were reviewed along with information about continuing declines anticipated in student numbers as they are anticipated at each of the currently open buildings.
Also reviewed was the regulation which stipulates the minimum square footage required per student in any school building and how various possible configurations of student placement would fit with those fixed formulas.
Information concerning the cost of renovations called for at each building, particularly if they were to be kept open for the long term, but would require extensive investments in order to be permitted to remain in service.
To keep the district's building usage unchanged would require an almost immediate infusion of some $80 million dollars, "just to get them up to code."
There is no ready or reasonable source from which the district could expect to get those funds, said Miller.
Currently there are 2,457 students enrolled in the Buckeye Local School District.
Official projections for the 2012-2013 schoolyear have the district's total student enrollment at 1,936. A loss of 521 students is reflected in those numbers.
There are currently 225 students attending North Elementary, 254 students at Northwest Elementary, 288 students at South Elementary and 262 students attending West Elementary.
There are now 225 students attending North Middle School, 351 students at Southwest Middle school and 792 students at Buckeye Local High School.
Reductions in the number of students served in a school district are quickly reflected in the monies earmarked for that system by government sources.
The anticipated student body as of 2012-13 will include the following breakdown: PK 28, K 154, first grade 154, second grade 136, third grade 154, fourth grade 125, fifth grade 136, sixth grade 158, seventh grade 163, eighth grade 145, ninth grade 166, 10th grade 172, 11th grade 100, 12th 105.
"It is always a very tough decision to close a school, but it is particularly so when it's a neighborhood school and it only gets more difficult when you have to look at it being an elementary school," said Miller. "Neighborhood schools are an important part of the fabric of a community. "
"When you look at the number of students served the smallest is at West Elementary," offered Miller, referring to the practicality of choosing a place to begin the closures. "The building in Adena serves the least number of students and is in the worst shape. It is also the school located out the farthest. What are we going to do, are we going to sink the money for the extensive repairs and upgrades into a school located so far out and which serves the smallest number of people. We can't do that."
"The charge to me as superintendent is to operate the district at minimal cost, while offering the best education possible for our students. The key is figuring that out, and in these situations there are always going to be painful decisions to me made," said Miller.
"When you look at North Middle in Brilliant it is a similar situation to what we see at Adena Elementary," he said. "Of the students now at North Middle School , 40 will be riding a bus who are not doing that right now. That breaks down to one bus load of students. Again, this decision reflects the charge to make changes while impacting the least number of students."
"We have already experienced a major loss of students over the years. If you look at the district's total enrollment in 1998 it was 2,736 students. Buckeye Local has already lost half its students if you look at the historic numbers," said Miller.
Required renovations at the existing buildings would include the following individual update costs which are now two years old:
Board members were given all the numbers and recommendation information to consider when they focused on how to keep the financial health of the district solvent.
If the district's financial condition were to get too bad the state is mandated to step in. Such an action would remove control of the district from the local board and put it with the state, suspending local rights to make future operating decisions, according to Miller.
Here are some additional specifics about some of the building repairs and improvements needed as of a survey taken two years ago by an outside source offer details of individual items needing attention and the severity of the current status.
Buckeye Local High School
The building is in dire need of attention to its heating system at a cost of more than $3 million dollars; its roof at a projected cost of more than $1 million dollars. More than $200,000 is needed for the school's fire alarm system, almost $400,000 is needed for windows; and more than $700,000 is needed for technology.
North Middle School
Needs include: $1.7 million for heating; $1,029,711 for electrical issues; $391,097 for plumbing and fixtures; more than $283,495 for lighting; $141,747 for security; $703,869 for handicapped access; nearly $300,000 for site condition issues; almost $500,000 for technology needs.
Southwest Middle School
Its needs include spending $1.5 million on the heating system; $396,521 is needed for plumbing and fixtures; $256,515 is needed for interior lighting; $128,257 is needed for security systems; $64,663 is needed to address hazardous materials matters; $549,030 is needed for handicapped access upgrades; and $450,440 is needed for technology issues.
West Elementary School
Needs include more than $1 million for the heating system; 4578,398 for the electrical system; nearly $180,000 is needed for plumbing and fixture issues; attention to structure walls and chimneys total $100,000; $489,836 is needed for handicapped access matters; almost $50,000 is needed for the fire alarm system; hazardous materials issues will require $271,686; life safety matters will cost $313,276; $161,835 is needed to address loose furnishing issues; and $345,679 is needed for technology matters.
South Elementary School
The building's heating system issues will cost more than $1.6 million; roofing costs are expected to be $94,700; electrical system needs total $952,971; plumbing and fixture issues will cost $270,348; walls and chimney issues total $106,737; more than $1 million will be needed for general finishes issues; interior lighting needs come to $266,640; security system costs will be $133,320; emergency lighting needs total $53,328; fire alarm issues total $79,992; handicapped access needs total $397,232; hazardous materials needs total $106,482; life safety matters need $388,735; loose fitting issues come to 4213,312; and technology needs total $477,818.
North Elementary
Needs include more than $1 million for the heating system; almost $800,000 for electrical matters; and technology issues totaling more than $443,476.
Northwest Elementary
Needs include more than $851,000 for the heating system; $256,221 for roofing issues; $513,673 for electrical system matters and more than $529,696 for general finishing issues; 4hazardous materials issues total $157,024; and technology needs total $306,996.
