NAPOLEON, Ohio — The Napoleon Area Schools wants to offer more for its community to help keep students in the district, and bring more students in.
The district has seen a consistent drop in enrollment and graduation numbers as more and more students in the district opt for vocational training or open enrollment elsewhere.
So, the district has approved placing a combined bond/levy issue on the May ballot to build a new 85,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility featuring new classrooms, indoor athletic facilities and a community auditorium.
The bond will fund the $21,000,000 dollar facility's construction and the operating levy will increase funding for the entire district.
"We're looking at a negative balance here in the next two years," NAS Board President Ryan Crandall said. "We don't want a new building approved without an operating budget to operate it."
On average, it will cost homeowners of $100,000 homes $17.50 a month.
But Crandall said if approved, the district would still remain one of the lowest taxed districts in the four-county region.
Along with offering new programs like vocational agriculture, career training and e-sports, the facility will also fill a need for the greater Napoleon community, which currently has no recreational center or YMCA.
John Black, a member of the NAS Total Excellence Committee, said the district will offer access to the athletic facilities for the entire community.
"Access for every community member, every alumni and people who open enroll into Napoleon," Black said. "They get to utilize these facilities as part of their residency so they're not getting a membership fee or additional charge, they're entitled to this. I think that's brilliant to bring the community into these facilities."
Crandall also touted the community benefit of the facility.
"Anybody in this district can get access to a key fob, use the walking track, maybe shoot some hoops on a wintry day," Crandall said. "In this area we don't have a YMCA in this town, so having something that's available to everybody is what we're looking for."
You can learn more information by visiting the All In Napoleon Facebook page.