Schools, health care important
Editor:
Strong schools and good healthcare are vital to a community. We in the Xenia area are blessed to have both.
Greene Memorial Hospital has served Xenia and Greene County since 1951 and continues to provide in and outpatient as well as emergency care for our residents. Recent enhancements help to keep the facility providing up-to-date services. Issue 22 is a five-year renewal of the levy that has been in place since the hospital’s inception and is needed to continue to provide these services to our residents and is for only the Xenia facility.
Since 1967 the Greene County Vocational School District (Career Center) has delivered high quality career-technical education for the youth and adults of Greene County. Issue 18 is a renewal for permanent improvements (not general operation, salaries) that will expand offerings and career options in areas that are in demand and refreshing current equipment to provide quality training.
The Xenia Community Schools continue to improve with increased enrollment, higher graduation rates and more graduates going to college. Programs are being added at all levels from preschool through high school. In order to provide the best environment and be the most fiscally responsible with updating equipment and buildings and the maintenance for existing ones, Issue 21 a 3.9 mill bond issue will, in conjunction with state funds, provide for the building of a new combined Middle and High School. Estimates to repair the current structures are more than two thirds of the cost of building new, up-to-date schools.
Because of these accomplishments and many others as well as continual concern and excellence for our students and community, the Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce via the Board of Directors unanimously endorses these levies for Greene Memorial Hospital, Greene County Vocational School District and Xenia Community Schools and urges you to vote yes on Issues 22, 18 and 21 on Nov. 8.
— Linda J. Johannes, Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce Board Chair
Support school levy
Editor:
Issue 21 is a 3.9 mill bond issue to construct a safe, state of the art middle school/high school building on the same campus. It will cost the taxpayer less than $12.00 per month on a home that has a market value of $100,000. The state estimated the cost of repairs and renovations to our current buildings would total more than two thirds the cost of building new, and thus they recommended that the existing buildings be replaced. Without voter approval of a bond issue, the $28.5 million in state money goes away and the school district would be faced with trying to fund the needed repairs and renovations on our own.
New schools would be like community centers. We could use them for meetings and community events. They would be accessible for public meetings, voting, and emergency shelters, as well as for use by private community groups. Public schools define and anchor neighborhoods and communities. The new schools would not have narrow hallways but rather common areas where students could congregate. A new school layout would influence staff collaboration and student learning. Subjects that complement each other could be grouped in the same wing.
A newer educational facility would be a cost savings from energy efficiency. State of the art lighting with LED bulbs as well as mechanical systems for heating and air conditioning with high energy efficiency ratings would reduce energy costs by 20 to 30 percent. A new building design would be healthy, safe, environmentally sound, and built and maintained to support high quality education. Classroom lighting and thermal comfort are commonly cited by teachers as determinants of their own morale and the engagement of students.
In a new school technology would be ubiquitous for instruction, security, and administration. Science education would benefit from facility improvements, whether for safety or for quality. I urge you to vote for Issue 21 on election day.
— Denny Morrison, Xenia Community Schools Superintendent
Support the Fairborn City Schools bond issue
Editor:
Residents of the Fairborn City School District will have an opportunity to invest in strong schools by supporting a bond issue on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Support for the 2.95-mill measure will fund the construction of two new elementary schools.
Approximately 40 percent of the $58 million cost will be paid by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $8.60 a month.
Through surveys, the district welcomed community input, which revealed the expectation to address aging buildings and provide a safe and healthy environment at current locations.
The new buildings would house grades prekindergarten through second and grades three through five.
Support for the bond issue maintains investment in the community and protects its excellent quality of education.
That’s why I encourage Fairborn City School District residents to vote for the bond issue on Nov. 8.
— Richard Lewis, Executive Director OSBA, Columbus
