By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

SPRINGBORO - Building classrooms in the growing Springboro Schools will have to wait, while educators deal with financial worries.

Two emergency levies that together bring $2 million to school coffers are set to expire at the end of December 2003, said Tim Dettwiller, treasurer for the school district. The money those levies bring in represents about 8 percent of the district's $24 million general fund.

Educators at today's 5:30 board of education meeting will begin discussing when in 2003 to put the issues on the ballot. Collection on any levy passed in 2003 would begin in January 2004, Mr. Dettwiller said.

"We'd like to renew them as a single ballot issue," said Larry Hook, assistant superintendent. "We want to try to eliminate coming back so often."

Without passage of the levies, the district would begin making cuts early in 2004, Mr. Dettwiller said.

Voters earlier this month rejected a bond issue to build two elementary schools as well as an operating levy the district would start collecting revenues from until the new schools would have opened. Officials say those issues are on hold now.

Enrollment has increased by nearly 24 percent in the last three years, from 3,321 students in 1999 to 4,110 today, Mr. Hook said. It is expected to climb to 4,445 within a year.

School leaders will continue to look at where to put students. There are already 16 classrooms in modular units.

"There's only so many trailers we can afford and have room for," Mr. Hook said. "Class size will go up and we may lose a media center" to classrooms.

"Right now we don't see any relief" in enrollment, Mr. Hook said.