School districts prepare for year ahead after levies fail

RIVERSIDE, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Two local school districts prepare for next steps after their levies did not pass.

Voters struck down a Mad River Local Schools levy , with less than 200 votes deciding the outcome. The proposed 2.9-mill property levy would have been used to repair and maintain school buildings and equipment.

Beavercreek's levy also failed , which would have raised $265 million to build a new high school and renovate current buildings.

For Mad River Local Schools, Superintendent Chat Wyen says the district will try to get this levy passed again in May. He says the money is needed to make major repairs to buildings that are now 20 years old.

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"Roofs, boilers, a lot of HVAC systems need upgraded," said Wyen.

The levy that failed would have funded those upgrades for Mad River Local Schools. Wyen says just replacing the roofs on the elementary schools would cost $80,000 each.

"That is essential. We get those roofs replaced because if not, then the buildings will start to leak. That will cause other problems within the buildings," said Wyen.

Wyen says without a permanent improvement levy in place, the district will have to take money out of its general fund.

"Our general fund is used to basically fund the education of our students, which is a priority for us. But we are at the point where we need permanent improvement money in order to maintain our facilities," said Wyen.

In Beavercreek, a levy to build a new high school and convert buildings into middle and elementary schools failed. Supervisor of Public Relations Beth Sizemore says students and teachers need that extra space.

"We have students taking instruction in small group instruction in what would be considered nontraditional educational spaces. Former kitchenettes, closet spaces. So we're really trying to maximize every inch of our buildings," said Sizemore.

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Sizemore says the district currently has around 8,300 students, with 600 additional students expected within the next 10 years.

"We know the students are still coming and we know we need to provide them a quality education. And so we're going to need a place to do that," said Sizemore.

Sizemore says it's likely the levy will appear on the ballot again in May. The district plans on talking more about the next steps with its board of education and the community.