DANVILLE -- After more than an hour of debate, which at times was heated, the Danville school board chose Tuesday night to abandon its latest consolidation plan and instead renovate the three neighborhood elementary schools at a cost of $22 million to $37 million.
The decision, which could cost property owners $200 more in taxes a year once the district addresses concerns with the middle and high schools, drew the ire of several residents who waited out the three-hour meeting.
"I don't have $200, and it's not an option for me," said Susan Krum, of Danville. "I started coming to meetings once Megan (Raup, a board member) threw her hands up and asked if anybody had any comment. Why bother? It seems as though the decision had already been made. I cannot wait to hear what the other taxpayers have to say."
Randy May, of Danville, questioned the board's focus in its decision, which was opposed by board members Jim Moser, Steve Schooley, Allan Schappert and Raup.
"I couldn't have made business decisions like you have done," May said of the 5-4 vote. "If I did, I'd be out of business. There's an issue here, and it's the way you made the decision tonight. You didn't make a decision regarding the future of our district. Your motive was very obvious, and I'm very disappointed in this board."
In February, the board decided to close the Danville Elementary School and renovate the Mahoning-Cooper and Riverside buildings at a cost of roughly $30 million.
The newest option, which will keep the Danville Elementary School open, calls for upgrades of varying degrees at all three neighborhood schools. The Liberty-Valley Elementary School was renovated in 1997 and hasn't been involved in discussions with the other schools.
Before the vote, the board discussed whether keeping the small neighborhood schools intact was better than having the annual cost savings of building a $24 million consolidated school, which have been estimated at $720,000. The former option of closing Danville also projected an annual cost savings, estimated at $230,000.
Richard Snodgrass, the district's business administrator, said the district can fund up to $30 million without having to raise taxes. A tax increase, however, would be needed to cover the estimated $30 million to $40 million in improvements needed at the middle and high schools.
Snodgrass estimated a 2-mill increase, or roughly $17 a month or $200 a year, would cover the extra costs on top of the elementary school project.
That did not sit well with the cluster of residents in attendance.
"I wish I could say that I'm set back about this decision, but I'm shocked by this," said Greg Cole, of Danville. "There's a huge implication to this, but I really don't think you understand. There are five school board members who are clueless at what it's costing the district residents."
Mike Benjamin, of Riverside, said the board didn't take into account the long-term impact.
"I'm going to have a hard time understanding how you expect people to believe $17 a month is not a problem," he said. "There are people who only make $600 a month, and this is basically doubling their taxes. Apparently, we're not concerned with the overall impact. We're only concerned about what happens to those little schools in the neighborhoods."
n E-mail comments to jnorth@dailyitem.com.
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