Thursday, February 04, 1999
Tax request goes back to drawing board
Voters soundly reject bond issue
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
MIDDLETOWN — Officials in the Middletown/Monroe Schools will spend the next few days reviewing results from Tuesday's special election before deciding whether to resubmit a $97.4 million bond issue to voters later this year.
Voters rejected the 5.95-mill issue, 70 percent to 30 percent, according to final, unofficial results from the Butler and Warren county boards of elections.
“We'll review additional information we gleaned from our community forums and reassess the plan,” said Superintendent Wayne Driscoll. “Certainly the infrastructure and building needs are still there. We will go at it again in collaboration with our community.”
Proceeds from the bond issue would have been used to fund a plan to reduce class sizes in elementary buildings, create five middle schools for grades five to eight, build two elementary schools, and add classrooms to four other buildings. The plan was put together over three years by the Business Education Collaboration, with input from about 1,000 people.
“I think the committee gave them the best plan they could,” said Joe DiStaola, coordinator of business affairs for the district. “We have needs that have to be met.”
Voters passed the issue in only one of the 50 precincts in the district, said Edmund Pokora, district treasurer. In that Monroe precinct the vote was 86 percent in favor.
“In general, Monroe voters were more positive than Middletown voters were,” Mr. Pokora said.
A group called the Committee on Reviewing Education (CORE) has proposed splitting Middletown and Monroe into separate districts, but it wasn't clear Wednesday what effect that campaign had on the bond issue vote. The bond issue was structured so that 15 percent of the money would be spent at Lemon-Monroe High School or Monroe Elementary. That's the same percentage of the district's tax base that comes from Monroe.
“I'm sure some people were upset by that. But there were so many things that were changing with that bond issue,” said Suzi Rubin, CORE spokeswoman. “Some were upset with the schools. Some thought it was too high. Some didn't like the (grades) five to eight concept. There were a lot of possibilities for people to find something that they didn't like in the bond issue.”
Even among the CORE group there were differing opinions on the bond issue, which is why the organization took a neutral stand, said Ms. Rubin.
The Ohio Board of Education last month postponed a decision on CORE's request and had rescheduled the matter for a Feb. 9 meeting. But Ms. Rubin and Mr. Pokora said they were informed Tuesday that the matter is not on the February agenda.
In December 1997, the state board denied CORE's first petition to form its own district.
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