HARRISON, Ohio (WKRC) Southwest Local School District administrators and supporters are left scratching their heads after voters rejected the second bond issue in less than a year.
The $4.45 mill bond issue was defeated Tuesday night, August 2, with 57 percent of voters opposing it. It's less money than the issue put in front of voters the previous fall that called for consolidating elementary schools and building a new one on the same campus as a new junior and high school. After getting feedback from voters after the November bond issue failed, a committee decided to change course.
The August bond issue called for building a new junior school and renovating the high school. The district was on a timeline, too, because the state was offering up about $14 million of the $57 million project. Still, the community support wasn't there.
"I was shocked. We had 225 people on our levy team; parents, some kids, teachers, administrators, maintenance folks, classified folks, grandparents and to see it go down the way it did was very, very disheartening," said John Hamstra, Southwest Local School District superintendent.
Opponents said the district should have done a better job maintaining the existing facilities. Hamstra said the district spends $300,000 a year maintaining the junior and high schools.
Parents who fought for the bond issue said they were not sure what's next for their children.
"There were many people that said they would not vote even if it were for a penny more and that breaks my heart because I'm a person that believes I will always vote for police, my fire and my schools and people just don't have those same priorities anymore," said Jennifer Leurck who was on the bond issue committee.
The bond issue would have cost the owner of a $100,000 home an extra $155 a year. District officials said they were looking into what renovations could be done within their budget.
