PERRYSBURG, Ohio — Perrysburg voters are some of many in northwest Ohio who will see school levies on the ballot for the March 19 primary.
Cristina Cordova is a retired teacher and has lived in Perrysburg her whole life. She supports the schools but has an issue with how fast the city is growing.
"I support schools," she said. "I do not support the development of Perrysburg all the way to Bowling Green. Perrysburg has gotten outrageously large."
Tom Hosler, superintendent of Perrysburg schools, said the growth has caused overcrowding in the schools.
"Woodland Elementary was built in 1979," Hosler said. "The capacity was 350 students. Today we have 600 students here."
One solution the district uses is adding trailers on school property for additional classroom space.
"The entire fourth grade is out here. They call it the hive," Hosler said.
But the trailers being out in the open causes safety concerns, he said.
He said if the bond passes the money will be used to get rid of the trailers, build a new elementary school and expand three of the current schools.
This isn't the first time the district has asked for more money to accommodate a booming student population. In November of 2023, voters rejected a similar bond issue that would have alleviated overcrowding at the high school.
"When something like that happens, you need to sit down and re-access," Hosler said.
The focus is now on just the elementary schools, cutting the original ask of $140 million to about $88 million.
Hosler said by 2026, the new bond would cost taxpayers $4.82/month per $100,000 home valuation. This will be phased in, though, so if passed, taxpayers would pay $2.48/month per $100,000 home valuation, starting in 2025.
Cordova hasn't made up her mind on how she'll vote.
"I'm very conflicted because I want to vote for the school, but I feel like it's voting for more development," Cordova said.
If the ballot issue is rejected, the district would need to add more trailers to schools in the district, Hosler said.
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