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Master Facility Plan FAQ
Table of Contents of Sections
Background
Financials
OFCC/Cropper Reports
Phase II
Phase II - School by School
Plan Order
Your Questions with Answers
 
Background
In November of 2015, Northwest Local School District voters approved a combination 3.82-mill bond and operating levy which enabled the district to initiate Phase I of a three-phased facilities plan designed to address the aging facilities throughout the District and to provide ALL students with modern educational spaces that are conducive to learning and that provide a safe and secure environment.
 
The 2015 combination levy/bond – 1-mill operating levy and 2.82-mill bond - resulted in the construction of three new schools and the closure/demolition of Welch, old Pleasant Run Elementary, old Struble Elementary, and old Taylor Elementary. Additionally, we closed Weigel Elementary School and demolished previously closed Bevis - All WITHOUT RAISING TAXES! This was possible because the district allowed a 4.52-mill operating levy to expire Dec. 31, 2015. Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes said at the time that the new bond/operating levy would cost the owner of a house valued at $100,000 about $133.70 annually, less than the cost of the expiring levy.
 
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the three new elementary schools (Taylor, Pleasant Run, and Struble) were held in August of 2018. 
 
The schools all featured:
  • Secure vestibules
  • Building security systems
  • High-efficiency HVAC systems that improve air quality
  • ELA (Extended Learning Areas)
  • Brightly colored spaces maximizing natural lighting
  • Maker Spaces
  • Improved acoustics and furniture that benefit student comfort
  • Improved kitchen facilities providing more lunch options for students
 
If Phase I is complete, when does Phase II begin?
Seven years after the passage of the 2015 combination bond issue/operating levy, the district is poised to initiate Phase II of the facilities plan. In November 2022 a 4.98-mill bond issue appeared on the ballot. The issue was unsuccessful, but the need to address aging, deteriorating, crowded, outdated buildings remains.
 
Summary of Phase II Priorities
  • Address buildings with the greatest need first
  • District-wide equity
  • Preference for 6-8 middle schools 
  • Preference for “Clean Feeder” organization
  • Preference to minimize student/building transitions
  • Expanded academic offerings
  • Operational efficiency
  • Schools that foster relationships
 
Master Facility Plan Phase III (TBD)
Based on the feedback from the Master Facility Committee survey, the community was split between wanting to replace both high school and career tech centers and/or wanting to combine both high schools and career centers into one school.  Based on the feedback, additional conversations to determine a consensus will need to be facilitated in the near future. 
 
Financials
Will NWLSD renew its request for a bond issue?
At their meeting on January 9, 2023, members of the Northwest Board of Education passed a Resolution to Proceed with the bond issue for Phase II.
     
The bond Issue will appear on the May 2, 2023, ballot. It is for a total of $168,600,000 (the “Bonds”) to pay the local share of school construction under the State of Ohio Expedited Local Partnership Program for new construction, improvements, renovations, and additions to school facilities, and providing equipment, furnishings, and site development and improvements. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
What is the cost breakdown for this bond issue?
Bond issue - $168,600,000
Term: 38 years
Proposed Millage: 4.98
Estimated Cost to Homeowner: $174 annually for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value - or $14.53 per month; or .48 cents per day.
  
Community members are encouraged to visit the Hamilton County Auditor's Office Website. Click on "Property Search" to access your property information and select "Levy Information" to view the Estimated Annual Tax.
 
What’s the status of the Monfort Heights Bond?
Approved by voters in 1997, the bond used for the construction of Monfort Heights was retired at the end of 2022 - an estimated tax reduction of $35* per $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value.
 
*Monfort Heights Bond was approved at 1.15 mills which does not include changes in valuation or homestead and rollback tax credits. 
 
When will there be another operating levy?
Previous projections indicated the district would need to ask for an operating levy in fiscal year 2024. However, the Five Year Forecast shared with the Board in November 2022 indicated an improved financial forecast that included a positive cash balance through fiscal year 2027 thus projecting a need for increased revenue or decreased services in fiscal year 2028.
 
The change in the district’s financial picture didn’t come easily. The commitment on the part of district leaders, teachers, and staff to intentionally align resources to needs, along with our community’s support, made a big difference in our financial outlook.

 Board Resolution to Contain Costs
In November 2021, the Board of Education renewed its 2019 Resolution of District Financial Parameters and Community Partnership. The resolution capped annual expenditures at 3 percent and committed to extending the life of the 2019 operating levy through fiscal year 2023. It also projected a 5 mill Emergency operating levy in Fiscal Year 2024.
 
The 3 percent cap on expenditures significantly contributed to extending the 2019 levy’s life just as the Board committed.
 
What is a bond issue?
A bond issue is used to provide local revenue for construction purposes. By law, bond dollars can be used only for capital costs -- building construction and/or renovations, and major equipment purchases. It cannot be used for salaries or any operational expenses.
 
What is the difference between a bond issue and an operating levy?
Bond issues raise money that, by law, can ONLY be used for capital improvements (bricks and mortar). Operating levies generate money for a district’s day-to-day operating costs, such as salaries, benefits, and utilities.
 
OFCC/Cropper Reports
The journey to this point was initiated in 2014 with the creation of a Master Facilities Plan to address the district’s aging facilities and a focus on providing students with modern educational spaces that accommodate and support teaching and learning for the 21st Century and future.  
 
In 2021, the Master Facility Plan was updated by a committee of community leaders, parents, teachers, students, and staff to address current needs and assess the learning spaces in each building to prepare students for the future.
 
The update included the findings of the 2021 Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s Assessment of NWLSD Schools. As part of the development of the Master Facilities Plan process, OFCC conducts an assessment of all existing buildings within each school district. If OFCC estimates that renovation of a building is more than 2/3 the cost of replacing the building with a newly constructed one, it is typically recommended that the building be replaced.
 
What did the state assessment recommend for NWLSD?
The assessment found that the renovation of seven NWLSD schools is more than 2/3 the cost of replacing each with a newly constructed building. Therefore:
 
The recommendation is to replace:
  • Colerain Elementary (100-years-old)
  • Colerain Middle School (93-years-old)
  • White Oak Middle School (Slated for Closure)
  • Colerain High School (60-years-old)
  • Houston Learning Center (57-years-old, part of Phase II, delayed)
  • Pleasant Run Middle School (54-years-old)
  • Northwest High School (52-years-old)
 
Additional Recommendation
Renovations were recommended for Monfort Heights Elementary which was opened in 1999. The assessment indicated it was at 52 percent in the replace vs. renovate formula.
  
The report created by Cropper GIS Consulting LLC Cropper found buildings “over capacity.” What does this mean?
When conducting a survey to help with the Redistricting effort, Cropper consulting identified six of our buildings as over capacity.
 
In short, this means that these buildings are overcrowded. Redistricting is helping to alleviate the situation to a certain degree in the elementary schools, but new construction is needed to fully address the need for more space in our schools.
 
What is the life expectancy of a school building?
Between 40 and 50 years old, the original equipment should have been replaced, including the roof and electrical equipment, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. After 40 years, a school building begins rapid deterioration, and after 60 years most schools are abandoned.
 
What impact can buildings have on teaching and learning?
As is the case with most aging buildings, especially those 50 years and older, they no longer meet the needs of today’s students and staff. For example, half a century ago and beyond, special needs students were not mainstreamed. The movement to mainstream special needs students really took hold around 1990. Older buildings were not designed for the full integration of special needs students with typically-developing students. 
 
When it comes to technology and Wi-Fi, older buildings are not properly equipped to meet the electrical or other hardware demands. Plumbing, HVAC and other critical infrastructure components are also aging out.
 
Safety and security needs are much different today than they were a century or a half-century ago. Security vestibules are secured spaces with two or more sets of doors that only allow visitors access to one space within the building. They limit and regulate entrances, allowing more efficient screening of people entering a facility.
 
The question then becomes, is it prudent to continue to make costly repairs in obsolete buildings?
 
Phase II
Phase II Projects: What construction projects are covered by this bond issue?
Based on the district’s Master Facilities Plan, this bond would address costs associated with Phase II construction/renovations. Funding for a scaled-back version of Phase II goes before voters on May 2, 2023. To contain project costs the plan to replace the 57-year-old Houston Early Learning Preschool with a new building is no longer part of this project. Despite this change, the millage amount remains the same in May 2023 as in November 2022 due to increasing interest rates.
 
Key projects in Phase II include:
  • Construction of a new Colerain Elementary (100 years old)
  • Construction of a new Colerain Middle (93 years old)
  • Construction of a new Pleasant Run Middle (54 years old) 
  • Closure of White Oak Middle School and consolidation of District middle schools from three to two providing operational savings.
  • Renovation of Monfort Heights Elementary (24 years old)
  • Address a minimum of $40 million in deferred maintenance costs (estimate based on numbers from pre-pandemic)
 
Phase II - School by School
Colerain Elementary School, 100-years-old
Based on the OFCC report, renovation of CES is about 91 percent of the cost of new construction. If OFCC estimates that renovation of a building is more than 2/3 the cost of replacing the building with a newly constructed one, it is typically recommended that the building be replaced.
 
Given its age, the manner in which the building was constructed, CES is an obsolete building. It is no longer economically feasible to maintain CES. The school has outdated plumbing, ventilation, electrical, which are all costly to maintain and cannot accommodate today’s technology and educational needs let alone the needs of the future. It is not prudent to continue to put costly repairs into a building that is obsolete. 
 
Constructed in 1923, it is both undersized and outdated.
 
Colerain Middle School, 93-years-old
Based on the OFCC report, renovation of CMS is about 82 percent of the cost of new construction. If OFCC estimates that renovation of a building is more than 2/3 the cost of replacing the building with a newly constructed one, it is typically recommended that the building be replaced.
 
Given its age, the manner in which the building was constructed, CMS is an obsolete building. It is no longer economically feasible to maintain CMS. The school has outdated plumbing, ventilation, electrical, which are all costly to maintain and cannot accommodate today’s technology and educational needs let alone the needs of the future. It is not prudent to continue to put costly repairs into a building that is obsolete. 
 
Constructed in 1930, it is both undersized and outdated.
 
White Oak Middle School, 62-years-old
Based on the OFCC report, renovation of WOMS is about 84 percent of the cost of new construction. If OFCC estimates that renovation of a building is more than 2/3 the cost of replacing the building with a newly constructed one, it is typically recommended that the building be replaced.
 
Given its age, the manner in which the building was constructed, WOMS is an obsolete building. It is no longer economically feasible to maintain WOMS. The school has outdated plumbing, ventilation, electrical, which are all costly to maintain and cannot accommodate today’s technology and educational needs let alone the needs of the future. It is not prudent to continue to put costly repairs into a building that is obsolete. 
 
Constructed in 1961, it is both undersized and outdated.
 
Pleasant Run Middle School, 54-years-old
Based on the OFCC report, renovation of PRMS is about 71 percent of the cost of new construction. If OFCC estimates that renovation of a building is more than 2/3 the cost of replacing the building with a newly constructed one, it is typically recommended that the building be replaced.
 
Given its age, the manner in which the building was constructed, PRMS is an obsolete building. It is no longer economically feasible to maintain PRMS. The school has outdated plumbing, ventilation, electrical, which are all costly to maintain and cannot accommodate today’s technology and educational needs let alone the needs of the future. It is not prudent to continue to put costly repairs into a building that is obsolete. 
 
Constructed in 1969, it is both undersized and outdated.
 
Renovation of Monfort Heights Elementary, 24-years-old
Based on the OFCC report, renovation of MHE is about 52 percent of the cost of new construction. If OFCC estimates that renovation of a building is more than 2/3 the cost of replacing the building with a newly constructed one, it is typically recommended that the building be replaced.
 
Monfort Heights falls below the build new threshold but is past half-life based on the OFCC data. Renovations now will extend through the replacement of critical systems such as HVAC and provide a critical upgrade to the learning environment providing equity among all district elementary schools.
 
The deferred maintenance of $40 million
  • This includes items to keep our buildings warm, safe and dry such as roofing, HVAC, building envelope, and windows in addition to parking lots, concrete, plumbing, and electrical.
 
Consolidation of Middle Schools
Phase II of the Master Facilities Plan calls for the consolidation of middle school buildings. By combining three middle schools into two, the district benefits from operational efficiencies; specifically there will be fewer buildings and properties to maintain and operate. Additionally, Phase II of the Master Facility Plan will also help us to address class size efficiency, increase in academic learning opportunities, and will help NWLSD to create a clean feeder school system, which will better align students as they transition throughout their educational journey.

 
  • White Oak Middle School would be closed as part of Phase II and the site could potentially be the location for one of the new buildings included in Phase II.
 
Overall Phase 2 provides:
  • New Colerain Elementary School
  • New Colerain Middle School
  • New Pleasant Run Middle School
  • Renovations at Monfort Heights Elementary School
  • Provides financial opportunity to address the needs of our high schools through earned ELPP credits and state funding that will help pay for Phase III of the Master Facility Plan.
  • Ensure ALL PreK-8th grade students have access to modern buildings that support 21st Century and beyond learning.
  • Allows students to benefit from new buildings instead of fixing and patching issues in buildings that are already recommended for replacement by the State of Ohio guidelines.
 
Like the schools that opened in 2018, the Phase II schools will feature:
  • Secure vestibules
  • Building security systems
  • High-efficiency HVAC systems that improve air quality
  • ELA (extended Learning Areas)
  • Brightly colored spaces maximizing natural lighting
  • Maker Spaces
  • Improved acoustics and furniture for student comfort
  • Improved kitchen facilities providing more lunch options for students
 
Will consolidation and new construction result in a “Clean Feeder” school district, which will better align students as they transition throughout each level of school?
In a word - Yes!
  • All Colerain Elementary, Struble, and Monfort Heights students will feed to Colerain Middle and Colerain High School.
  • All Pleasant Run Elementary and Taylor Elementary students will feed to Pleasant Run Middle and Northwest High School.
 
What is the status of the previous properties owned by the district?
  • Pleasant Run Elementary (PRE) - NWLSD still owns this property, which is located on Hamilton Ave. As we consider options for Phase 2 of the Master Facility Plan, the vacant lot could be a possible site for a new Pleasant Run Middle School. 
  • Welch Elementary School -  This property was sold in 2019.
  • Bevis Elementary - This property is in the process of being sold
  • Ann Weigel Elementary - This property is located on Banning Rd. It is still owned by NWLSD. In 2022, a portion of the building was demolished. The remainder of the property is being utilized as the Central Supports Office and secondary alternative programs.  Plans will be put in place for this building to be sold in the future. 
  • White Oak Middle School - White Oak (WOM) is currently being utilized as a functioning school location. However, in Phase 2 of the Master Facility Plan, NWLSD will combine three middle schools into two middle school locations in order to achieve operational efficiency. As a result WOM would be closed. Once vacant, the lot could become a potential site for Phase II construction. Considerations on whether this location would be a potential location for the new larger Colerain Middle will need to be made.  
  • Houston Early Learning Center (HELC) - HELC is currently being used as a functioning preschool location. It also currently houses Central Office Supports and academic programs. Phase II of the Master Facilities Plan included the construction of a new early childhood center. However, due to escalating interest rates and a desire to keep the bond issue millage rate below 5, the construction of a new preschool has been delayed.

 
 
Plan Order
Some have asked, ‘How did the Master Facilities Plan Committee choose the order of construction/renovation projects?’ These charts best outline the choices made. Ultimately, need for new buildings designed for 21st-century learning and beyond combined with the best opportunity to earn credits/funding from the state helped to identify our path.
 

 

The State of Ohio recommends that NWLSD replace seven buildings and renovate one based on each building’s current condition. The cost to make the recommended changes is $319 million. Like most public schools, NWLSD has a limit on the amount that can be borrowed. Currently, NWLSD has a debt limit of $82 million, which would not be enough to achieve the State’s recommended replacements. 
 
As a participant in the State’s ELPP Program, (Expedited Local Partnership Program) the State would allow NWLSD to sell bonds (borrow) in order to acquire the necessary amount needed to achieve the State’s recommendation. Additionally, by continuing to participate in the State program, NWLSD will earn an estimated total of between $50-$60 million in ELPP credits that will be used towards a co-funded Phase III (High Schools).   
 
If NWLSD were to make the decision to renovate all eight of the buildings, the total amount would be approximately $248 million, which would exceed NWLSD’s $82 million debt limit. Making the decision to renovate all eight buildings would also eliminate NWLSD’s opportunity to participate in the ELPP Program and other State Programs like Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP). Both State programs assist with funding for school facilities allowing schools to borrow based on financial need. Without participating in the ELPP and CFAP programs, the State will only allow NWLSD to borrow a max of $82 million, which would not address CE, CMS and the $40 million of deferred maintenance needed for other existing buildings, leaving NWLSD with 50-100+ year-old buildings and no future means of replacement for the next 30 years when Phase 1 bonds roll off.