Perry eyes updated plan that includes three new elementary schools
PERRY TWP. – With the rising cost of materials, supply shortages and a lackluster workforce, Perry Local officials have spent months trying to figure out how to build new elementary schools.
The district was set to construct four buildings to house kindergarten through fifth grade with the help of state funding and a bond issue approved by voters.
But Superintendent Scott Beatty told those attending Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting that the district will now build three new elementary schools and leave fifth graders at Pfeiffer Intermediate School.
Estimates put the construction cost around $72 million. The bill for the original plan for four new schools, high school renovations and expansion of the Health and Wellness Center was estimated at $163 million.
Beatty said it’s disappointing not to be able to proceed with the original plan.
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“It’s easy to focus on the negative,” he said. “We are still blessed to be able to consider these things on the heels of a pandemic.”
New buildings needed to address Perry Local’s aging elementaries
In November 2019, the district’s building advisory committee recommended four new elementary schools to address aging buildings.
The group of Perry staff, school board members, community members, business leaders and township trustees had been meeting for about three years to discuss ideas.
Based on the recommendation and an offer from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to fund 62% of the cost, the school board moved ahead and sought a bond issue to finance the effort.
The plan called for new elementary schools on the Whipple, Watson and Lohr school properties and a fourth school to be built on 40 acres along Southway Street SW just east of Genoa Avenue SW. The district purchased the property in 2007.
Each school would have accommodated about 550 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The state wanted only two elementary schools, but based on community feedback, officials opted to keep neighborhood schools, Beatty said.
The existing Whipple, Watson and Lohr buildings, as well as Genoa Elementary School, would be razed after the new schools were completed. Meanwhile, T.C. Knapp would be converted to an early learning center for the district’s growing preschool program.
In 2020, voters approved the tax issue — a combined bond issue and permanent improvement levy. The 3.9-mill bond issue will generate $58.3 million over its 35-year term. The 1.5-mill improvement levy will generate $18.9 million during the life of the bond issue.
Besides the construction of four new schools, the first phase of the project included renovations at the high school and expanding the district’s career and wellness center to provide space for a counseling clinic, a medical clinic and family support services.
Proceeding with the project as planned would leave the district with a more than $12 million shortfall, officials said.
Challenging financial conditions
According to the Associated General Contractors of America, the cost of steel jumped 111% and material costs rose more than 28% between April 2020 and August 2021.
John Gaetano, vice president at project construction consultant Beaver Constructors, said it is unclear when or if prices will return to pre-pandemic levels.
“In 38 years of doing this, I have never had to deal with this,” he said. “There are a lot of challenges. Where we are now and the adjustments from four to three schools is the only way to make the dollars work.”
Gaetano said rising fuel costs will drive the construction budget higher.
“Used to get a truckload of insulated metal panels shipped for $1,100. Now it is $2,100 to ship,” he said. “Do that on multiple loads and that’s just where things are at. It impacts everybody, not just us.”
Constructing three schools instead of four will allow the district to reach its goals, Beatty said.
There are some advantages to the change, he added.
“We saw cost savings by downsizing,” Beatty said. “Less buildings make you more efficient.”
While the number of elementary schools has changed, Beatty said plans to construct a new fifth through eighth-grade middle school remain in place, as well as renovations to the high school.
The construction of the new middle school is part of second down the road. That phase would begin when the district is in line to receive state funding. The district entered the OFCC’s Expedited Local Partnership Program, which would allow the district to receive credit for work completed on renovations or new builds.
A roof replacement project at the high school is planned for this summer, which locks in the state funding for the construction project, Beatty said.
The new plan honors the promise made by district officials to maintain local neighborhood elementary schools with lower student enrollment.
Beatty said if the district’s enrollment would soar or new funding would become available, officials could reconsider adding the fourth school during the next phase.
He noted the district’s enrollment has decreased. Elementary grade level classes hover around 280 to 290 students with one class over 300, but significantly less than in previous years.
“The worst thing to do is build four buildings and not have enough kids to fill them,” he said. “I don’t know where all the kids have gone even with our growing housing markets.”
Building safe, modern and efficient learning environments for Perry students
The design of the new elementary schools will mirror the layout of Whipple Heights Elementary School — the district’s largest primary school.
The schools will include a two-story academic wing, administration offices, a media center, gym, stage and cafeteria/kitchen.
Each school will look a little different, but the footprint will be the same, Beatty said. Each school will be on average about 67,000 square feet.
Classrooms will be more than 800 square feet — the state minimum — and there will be multiple upgrades to the educational environment.
The schools will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, upgraded technology, substantial space and resources for special education programs, and dedicated physical education, music and art spaces.
There will also be bathrooms in classrooms, a calming room and space for mental health professionals.
Where will the schools be built?
Two of the new schools will be constructed on the Lohr Elementary school property and on 40 acres along Southway Street SW just east of Genoa Avenue SW.
The final site will be near Watson Elementary School. Officials are in talks with the owners of the former Doctors Hospital site to purchase that land.
Beatty said the former hospital site, located across from Watson, is larger and more conducive to district needs.
Like the Southway site, it would allow for expansion if needed as well as other possibilities of green space and ballfields.
Beatty said the district has opportunities to partner with local groups, including the township, to meet community needs.
“We want our buildings to be an extension of a community and accessible to our community,” he said.
When will Perry Local’s projects begin?
Officials hope to begin site prep work this summer with the design phase to continue through the end of the year.
Construction will continue through the spring of 2024 with students beginning the 2024-25 school year in the new buildings.
“We are talking about building brand new schools in Perry. It’s never going to be perfect. It’s never going to make everyone happy,” Beatty said. “There is no perfect solution but the very positive thing is it’s good for our kids, our staff, our community and sometimes we have to step back. We have to look at what is going on in the world. We have the luxury of being able to go to school and know it will be standing at the end of the day. We can’t lose sight of this. This is awesome. It’s not idyllic but it is still awesome.”
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or [email protected]
On Twitter: @aknappINDE
More details
Want to learn more about the Perry Local Schools construction project? Visit www.perrylocal.org/nextsteps or send questions by email to [email protected].
Read More: Perry eyes updated plan that includes three new elementary schools