At the September Board of Trustees Meeting, the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted to endorse the upcoming Bowling Green City Schools Bond Levy.
There are many factors that contribute to the economic growth and development of life in the Bowling Green area, one of the main factors is the quality of our schools.
The Mission Statement of the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce is to support an environment for the development and success of business within the Bowling Green area. The Chamber’s Mission Statement guides us in our actions and the framework or context within which our organization’s strategies are formulated. Supporting the schools is one way we accomplish this.
Corporate decision makers look into the school systems before considering bringing their businesses and projects to a community. Are schools competitive in the use of technology and facilities to produce a future quality workforce? The BGCC Board of Directors are of the opinion that the current facilities do not produce this outcome.
The Bowling Green Senior High School was built in 1963, and it is deteriorating badly. According to the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, the building does not meet educational standards; not only does the condition of the building endanger students and hamper their learning, but the cost of maintenance rises higher every year. The OFCC estimated in 2015 that it would cost $24 million to bring the building up to code, let alone provide a safe, modern learning environment for our students.
We believe it is high time to invest in our community’s future by passing this levy.
Passage of this levy would not only put the schools on the same level with neighboring school districts as far as vastly improving technological instruction and classrooms, but it would also drive those corporate decision makers to look at Bowling Green as a community where they would want to invest in locating.
Anecdotally, many people leave Bowling Green and / or choose to live in surrounding communities with stronger school districts for their children. In order to attract and retain young families—and therefore, workers—we need to update our facilities to bring them in line with our neighboring towns.
A strong school system also protects property values, which helps our community flourish. The proposed levy is funded through property taxes, and the 30-year timeline would help the community absorb the costs. Under the proposed levy, homeowners with properties worth $100,000 would pay $193.68 annually; homeowners with properties worth $300,000 would pay $484.23 annually. For rural residents and farmers, CAUV land valued at $100,000 would pay only $63.96 annually, and owners with CAUV land worth $300,000 would pay $191.88.
Due to the factors outlined above, we believe it is imperative that this levy be passed, both for the physical health and safety of our children, and the continued growth of our community. This levy is long overdue, and the cost will only increase the further its passage is pushed back. Our students deserve to know that we are investing in their futures. Now is the time to act and help our students and business community thrive.
Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce
