WCSD attempts to pass a school levy that will aid the building of new schools

MATTIE DUNLAP cover editor

On May 2, Wooster community members will be voting on a bond issue regarding the construction of a new K1-2 elementary school on the Cornerstone campus and a new middle school.

According to the Wooster City Schools website, the May 2 bond issue is a part of phase 1 of the District Facilities Master Plan and will cost homeowners around $19.60 per month per $100,000 of home value. However, the district would reduce from six buildings to four, reducing utility and maintenance expenses.

Gabe Tudor, superintendent of WCS, says the master facilities planning began in 2018, around the time they started assessing the state of Wooster’s school buildings.

Tudor goes on to explain the impetus behind the May 2 levy as being multiple things.

“I think it was a combination of potential enrollment growth and aging buildings that started the conversation. And then from there, it was other things that became attractive to the project; what do we want our buildings to do and serve our kids? Do we want to put all our kids together?... But, the idea probably started primarily with potential enrollment growth and aging buildings,” Tudor said.

According to Tudor, if the levy is passed, construction would begin right away with plans for the new middle school to be opened by 2026.

Connie Storck, Wooster community member, expresses her concerns with the May 2 bond issue, especially the destruction of Cornerstone Elementary school.

“...The board never looked into historic renovation costs, although the historic renovation architectural firm that renovated the downtown courthouse was willing to evaluate the building,” Storck said.

Additionally, Storck shares the negatives of grade-banding, a method the Facilities Master Plan adopted.

“The plan calls for grade banding. It eliminates all neighborhood schools…A Brookings Institution study states that basic factors affecting student achievement are

Carnivals raise funds for elementary schools

‘sense of belonging, connectedness, and support; academic challenge and engagement; and social and emotional competence for students and adults’,” Storck said.

Vice president of the WCS BOE Danielle Schantz offers an alternative view of grade banding, saying it is a more equitable way to house students within the district.

Schantz says she hopes the levy gets passed to provide Wooster students and staff with modern facilities.

“Public schools serve more than just the educational needs of Wooster’s kids. Counseling services, extended child care, meals, and health services are provided to many of our students. Wooster students deserve to have safe, friendly, and modern facilities. Some students spend as many as 8 hours at school each day. It is their home away from home. Wooster staff also deserve to teach in facilities that accommodate their professional and personal needs as they do this important work,” Schantz said.

To learn more about the May 2, 2023 bond issue, go to the Wooster City Schools website and visit the master facilities plan page.