Dr. Keith Kline, Superintendent of West Clermont Local Schools, spoke today. He reports that their district is beginning 2015 with a stable and positive budget. They have 2 major funds: The General Fund (operating $) and The Permanent Improvement Fund (Capital $). They recently created a 10 year facilities plan including a full assessment by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
Recently, they entered an agreement with Union Township to sell the Glen Este property for $1 in exchange for a minimum of $65 million in TIF (Tax Incentive Financing) funds over the next 30 years. There will be about a 2400 student high school, which will put them in the top 10 biggest in Ohio. An architect will be appointed at the end of March.
Some benefits include:
- No additional cost to taxpayers.
- All students, regardless of where they live, will have access to the same high quality education and opportunities.
- Modern Science Labs
- Great Technology
- Academic Opportunities
- Increased Safety
- Better Class Sizes
- Competitive Facilities
- No jobs lost
- Help with Design
- More opportunities for kids
- Job embedded coursework
- Better prepared for college or careers
Phase 1 will also include the merger of Amelia and Glen Este Middle Schools into a single West Clermont Middle School. This will be at the current Amelia Campus. This phase should be completed by the 2017-18 school year. In the end, there should be $35-40 million in credits with the state in order to build 2 new elementary schools. They plan to make facilities available to the public.
There are many ways to get involved in the planning. Find out more at www.westcler.org.
