Lakewood school board rejects bond issue

HEBRON - The Lakewood Local Schools Board of Education voted against sending a bond issue for a new elementary school to the voters.

The board rejected the 28-year, $33.9 million bond issue in a 3-2 vote in a special board meeting Wednesday night. Board President Steve Thorp voted no with new members Jonathan Lynch and Bill Pollard, who voted no last week in a vote to move forward with the levy. Bill Gulick and Tara Houdeshell voted in favor of the issue.

Wednesday's vote was the last step to place the bond issue on the May 8 ballot.

More:Lakewood board narrowly votes to move May levy forward

More than an hour was spent during the meeting addressing concerns board members have about the new elementary school and other capital improvement projects that were going to be paid for by the bond, such as demolishing one of the Jackson Intermediate School buildings and repurposing the other Jackson building.

Before the vote, Houdeshell said she didn't feel the district had gone about the bond issue in a haphazard way because a year of planning preceded Wednesday's vote.

"I really feel like it's been a collective of experts and community members that have put their best foot forward," she said. 

She said she was in favor of sending the issue to voters and letting them decided. 

Following the vote, Brittany Misner, a Lakewood parent, said, "I think you three should be completely ashamed of yourselves."

Misner, who chaired Lakewood's renewal levy effort last fall, was cut off as Thorp immediately banged the gavel and said Misner was out of order for attacking specific board members.

Misner was allowed to continue her comments and said, "I think that you were in this position to do the best for our children and the vote tonight did not demonstrate that you care one bit about them."

Dennis Paben, with the Legat Architects firm, attended the meeting to field questions. Paben said it would take up to three years from the time a levy is passed before the new elementary school is completed.

Pollard said he had concerns other projects, such as renovating Lakewood Middle School and the bus garage and constructing a new maintenance building, could use up the money before the new elementary is completed if there are unforeseen complications.

District Superintendent Mary Kay Andrews said if the money was secured through a bond and the district moved forward with the concept for the school, the district would hire an architect and a project manager to represent the board and look out for the district's best interest.

Andrews said the board would enter a contract with them for a specific cost for the new school and the project manager would be guaranteeing that amount.

Preliminary plans put the new elementary school between Jackson Intermediate and Lakewood Middle School. The new school would have housed grades kindergarten through fifth, freeing up both Jackson buildings. The smaller Jackson building, which currently holds third grade students, would become a preschool and the district central office. The larger Jackson building, which is located on Lancer Road, would be demolished and be turned into a parking lot in between the district's softball and baseball fields.

Thorp said he is adamantly against demolishing the larger Jackson building if the only reason is to put a parking lot in for athletics.

"I think when I die I want to be buried there so they can't remove my body if that's what they're going to do," he said.

Thorp advocated for a kindergarten through third grade building instead and renovating the larger Jackson building to keep fourth and fifth grade students there.

Andrews said research shows student performance suffers the more students transfer buildings, which is the reason for the kindergarten through fifth grade building. 

Lynch said Thursday morning many of his questions were answered during the discussion, but there are still more questions to be asked and answered. He said he feels not sending the bond issue to the voters is the right decision now because "it protects the interests of everyone, starting with our children."

"The main thing is, is when the community does decide to give us $33.9 million we need to make sure that every dollar possible can be used to benefit the children whether that's through facilities, the types of spacing, the furniture, the technology, so on and so forth," he said. "The last elementary school has lasted 105 years and so we need to make sure that whatever decision we make when we make it has been vetted to the best of our ability and that we have a building that's going to last."

After the meeting Houdeshell said she was "extraordinarily disappointed" in the outcome of the vote.

"That being said, I'm part of this new team and I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work," she said.

To Lakewood parents and residents who are also disappointed, Houdeshell said she is confident the board members know the district is in desperate need of a new elementary.

"I have confidence that we're going to come back and bring something back to the community that hopefully they'll be proud of and be supportive of," she said. "I guess I would ask for patience. Give us time to figure this out." 

mdevito@gannett.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13