By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kevin Bright

MASON - Besides its history of academic excellence, no other feature marks Mason's public school system more profoundly than its rapid growth.

In each of the last six years, the booming Warren County school system has grown by an average of 650 new students. On March 2 school officials are asking voters to approve a 1.78-mill bond issue to raise $35 million to construct a new early childhood center for grades K-6 and expand the Mason Intermediate School.

The Enquirer sat down with Superintendent Kevin Bright, 51, to discuss issues affecting the 8,700-student district.

QUESTION: When you arrived at Mason Schools 14 years ago, enrollment was about 2,500. Now with more than 8,700 students, and projections of 11,200 students in five years, what has this meant for the district?

ANSWER: While it causes you some difficulty, the growth is a reflection of the quality of education here. People don't live in school districts where they don't want their kids to go to school. We're flattered by the growth and with the "excellent" rating on the state report card. We are rated 15th in Ohio out of 612 school districts.

Q: Why do you need a bond issue?

A: According to our treasurer in the state of Ohio this year, the overall growth was 2,000 students. We have roughly 30 percent of all the enrollment growth in the state of Ohio. When you get that kind of enrollment growth you have to ask for additional facilities, and you have to ask for additional operating money.

Even with the passage of this 1.78-mill bond issue, we will need additional operating money next year. We project that we will have to put that on the May 2005 ballot. We don't know the size yet of the operating levy yet.

The bond issue on the March 2 ballot will not increase people's taxes. And we're still spending $420 less per pupil than the state average.

The schools are the centerpiece of this community. If you talk to the residents with children probably 90 to 95 percent of the them will say they came here because of the schools.

Q: Mason High School, which opened in 2002, is the most modern in Southwest Ohio. One reason is its physical connection and cooperation with the city's Community Center. How is that working?

A: The community center being in the same facility as the high school has worked out beautifully. We've been able to cooperate with the city of Mason on shared usage. We use the field house during the day and then at night all six courts revert back to the community center. We share the pools and we share the auditorium.

Q: You are close to purchasing a synthetic turf field. Discuss the advantages over the current natural grass playing fields?

A: It's rolled into this bond issue and represents 2 percent of the $35 million. It would end up costing about $700,000. With this huge influx of students coming in we just need more field space. Right now we are spending $80,000 a year on maintenance and upkeep of our natural turf fields. For us to put in an additional natural turf field, with a drainage system and new natural turf, it would cost $200,000 just for the field alone and that doesn't include the seats and lights.

The groups that would be using the synthetic field would include soccer - including Mason City Soccer recreational league and Mason Select Soccer and Warren County Soccer - and lacrosse.

We are also looking at offering T-Ball for the community and (youth) football and band - for both practice and competition. We can hold nearly an unlimited number of events a year and its almost maintenance-free.

It could be installed by August of this year.

Q: Mason Schools have a rich sports history, most notably the high school girls' basketball Comets who won the state championship in 2000. How important are sports, and physical education, to the district?

A: Very important. As a school district we are looking at the development of the whole child.

E-mail mclark@enquirer.com