Whoever is elected to four open seats on the Cincinnati Public Schools board of education Tuesday will oversee the start of a decadelong, multimillion-dollar school-building plan on a scale never before seen in the district.

        Over the next four years, school board members will consider facilities improvements for the 42,000-student district that are expected to endure nearly half a century, or the life of a school building. The cost of the massive project: up to $900 million to renovate, replace or consolidate all of the district's 76 schools.

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        The district's facilities master plan is not expected to be unveiled before December. The eight candidates, including three incumbents, do not always agree on how to plow ahead with the task.

        Board members will have to gear the community for a bond issue that could total hundreds of millions of dollars.

        For the district to accept from the state about $200 million — or 23 percent of the project's cost — CPS officials will have to accept the state's recommendations on which buildings to replace and which to renovate.

        The state preliminarily said 61 of the district's 76 schools would be more economical to replace, sell or close rather than renovate. The challenge for board members will be getting the community to agree.

        All eight candidates said community and parental involvement is essential for the facilities upgrades, but their ideas on when and how to incorporate that input spin off in different directions.

        Candidate Roy McGrath said decisions to refurbish or replace should be made on a building-by-building basis.

        “It shouldn't be a blanket thing,” he said.

        Incumbent Harriet Russell said the district needs to convene a meeting — before the facilities plan is unveiled — with government agencies, business groups and parents to gather input on the facilities plan.

        “I want to work to ensure that the parents and community representatives on the planning committee at each school site are heard,” she said.

        Candidate Melanie Bates agreed.

        “We would do the community a disservice if we did not take a look at the facilities plans of the city and, in particular, the recreation commission,” she said.

        She said the district could miss out on partnerships if school officials don't consult other city agencies. She cited the example of building a recreation center a few blocks from Walnut Hills High School instead of incorporating the facility into the high school.

        “That wasn't the best stewardship of taxpayer money,” she said.

        Candidate Ed Rothenberg said meeting with parents at their individual schools would be important to gain input for the facilities plan and to facilitate cooperation.

        Run-down buildings should be refurbished, candidate Frederick Suggs acknowledged.

        “But we've had run-down buildings before,” he said. “Foremost should be fixing the education of students.”

        He said he would like to hear more information about the state's building standards.

        Candidate G.R. “Sam” Schloemer said many of CPS's buildings are deplorable and the district would be foolish to reject the state's 23 percent funding offer.

        Incumbent Catherine Ingram said the district has to carefully plot out demographic trends when deciding which schools to consolidate and should take into account the historical value of schools.

        “But our priority,” she said, “is to make sure students are safe,” she said.

        Incumbent Sally Warner said the district has been thoughtful in its decisions. She said the facilities master plan will be based on years of planning with the district, architects, parents, community and the state.

        “The negotiation has been going along with each building,” she said. “We have to be clear every decision is balanced with other decisions.”

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