By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Bowling Green Board of Education made it official Tuesday evening by voting to ask the Wood County Auditor to determine the millage and the duration of a levy to pay for the district’s $72 million building project.
The board voted at a meeting earlier this month to consolidate the three elementary schools into one centralized building, and to make major additions and renovations to the high school. That work will be funded by a bond issue.
The board also agreed to build an addition to the middle school. That project, which will likely begin in September, will be financed through $4.6 million in permanent improvement funds.
If the bond issue is approved by voters, the new consolidated elementary planned north of the current middle and high schools, could be completed by the summer of 2020. The high school could be completed by summer of 2021.
The action taken Tuesday evening by the school board was the adoption of the necessity of the bond issue. The issue will appear on this November’s ballot.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the board hired Alyssa Karaffa as the new principal at Crim Elementary School. Karaffa has been the assistant principal at the middle school. Her new position has an annual salary of $75,000.
The former Crim principal, Melanie Garbig, was hired earlier this month as the district’s executive director of pupil services.
Also at the meeting, Superintendent Francis Scruci said he and the transportation supervisor had made a busing decision that would save the district nearly $100,000 a year. By law, the district has to transport local students to private schools within 30 minutes of Bowling Green City Schools.
For years, local students have been transported to St. John’s and the Toledo School for the Arts. But those schools are actually further than the 30 minute limit. So students will no longer by bused by the district to those schools.
“We’re trying to utilize the tax dollars of our community most efficiently,” Scruci said.
Also at the meeting, Scruci explained a Community Reinvestment Area agreement between the city and Moser Construction, which is building a facility in the Wood Bridge Business Park. The CRA allows the city to give the company a tax abatement, but also allows the school district to negotiate so it does not lose any tax revenue.
“We will remain whole,” Scruci told the board. He recommended the district direct those dollars into the permanent improvement fund since most of that fund is being used to expand the middle school.
In other business, Maria Simon and Michelle Raine of Wood County District Public Library were recognized for setting up e-cards for all students in grades 3 to 11. The cards allow them access to digital books.
“We can’t thank them enough for doing that,” said Jodi Anderson, secondary curriculum coordinator for the district.
The library also created an instructional video for students, parents and teachers.
A special report was given by Beth Krolak, the district’s technology coordinator, on technology improvements planned throughout the district this summer.
