TOLEDO, Ohio — Issue 7 on the November ballot for those who live in Washington Local School district (WLS) is a two-part, new money levy that would give the district an opportunity to rebuild their schools.
"The Ohio Construction Commission came in and evaluated our schools over the last year at the state came back and said they're willing to pay 80 percent if they're willing to pay 20%," said Washington Local School's Superintendent, Dr. Kadee Anstadt.
The percentage is a big talking point in Washington Local School's levy. It's a combined 6.9 mil bond and operating levy; 3.0 mil to rebuild the schools and 3.9 mil for operating expenses.
It's expected to take at least 10 years for the changes and over time, all of the buildings within WLS will be rebuilt.
"Right now, Whitmer High school and the Career Tech Center are not on the list, but by the time we get down that 10-year road, we think that they probably will make the list. But right now it's the elementary schools and the junior highs," said Dr. Anstadt.
If passed, the first order of business is looking at rebuilding Shoreland Elementary along with combining Wernert and Jackman into one new building.
The superintendent said the big change for voters, is that they will be able to stop paying more to maintain the district's old buildings.
The projected average cost for a Washington Local homeowner is around $18 a month, plus they'll be helping the local economy.
"Over the course of the next 10 years a quarter of a billion dollars will be poured into the Toledo economy. Toledo workers, Toledo moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles will be building these buildings for our Washington Local students and we're really excited about that," said the superintendent.
Should the levy not pass, the superintendent said they may not get a chance like this to completely rebuild their schools ever again.
Of the Washington Local homeowners that were out Wednesday, most of them told me they were voting yes, because they support new facilities for the kids.
There was one who said they did not know what they were going to vote and wanted more information. More information on the proposed levy is available here.