Superintendent: Time running our for White River Valley schools

But he did say that it gave validity to the need to combine the two elementary schools at Worthington and Lyons into a new building in Switz City for the economic survival of the school district.

Wall said that's the stark reality facing the school corporation.

Wall said recent drastic cuts in state aid, combined with a shrinking local property tax support (down $200,000 in the current year) makes the long-term viability of continuing to operate the two aging school buildings an economic challenge.

Wall said if something isn't done soon to change the way local schools are funded from the state, or the school board doesn't move forward with a plan to combine the two elementary schools, he thinks the result will be combining WRV school district with a neighboring school corporation.

That could happen in two or three years if the current financial trend continues, Wall stressed in pointing out that the WRV district is losing 14.5 percent of its General Fund in the next two years -- 2012 and 2013.

More than 90 percent of the General Fund money goes to teacher salaries and related benefits, Wall said.

An estimated $700,000 is lost for the coming school year alone and $1.5 million over the last four years.

"We can't operate that way," Wall commented. "I don't believe we can have the luxury to have it just the way we want it. We are going to have to combine these two schools."

MGT recommended implementing a seven-year facility plan that would result in the construction of a single, centrally-located elementary school near the current junior-senior high school building in Switz City.

Wall doesn't buy that time frame.

He believes the building process has to happen much more quickly.

Wall told the Greene County Daily World on Friday morning that he would like to see the building issue placed as a referendum on the November election ballot.

Some more realities, if the plan to construct a new school moves forward, is taxpayers will have to fund it by increasing local property taxes.

Wall said he feels the school can handle the additional debt service load without putting too much of a burden on local taxpayers.

Currently, the district supports one of the lowest debt service levels at 6.5 cents per $1,000 of taxable property.

The study shows that an estimated $473,000 can be saved annually in operating costs by combining the two schools.

Wall says that figure is extremely low and he estimates the true savings will be in the $700,000 a year range when teacher salaries and benefits are included.

According to MGT, the current annual operating cost of the Lyons Elementary is $477,734 ($9.37 per square foot); it costs $466,696 ($9.64 per square foot) to operate Worthington Elementary.

The study projected a new 65,000 square feet school would cost $519,206 (7.99 per square foot) to operate yearly.

The study revealed that a new elementary school would cost $8,713,250 in "today's dollars."

The "down the road price" will be more expense.

The superintendent says delaying the building project by seven years would not be prudent.

"It really needs to happen relatively quickly," he stressed.

Renovating the three district school buildings was estimated at $8,984,000 ($3,143,000 for Lyons; $2,681,00 for Worthington; and $3,160,000 for the junior-senior high school).

"We are going to be forced to look at this (building a new elementary) seriously at White River Valley to keep our school," Wall stated. "Three to four years down the road we are going to be looking at consolidating with a local school district, if we don't. I'm telling you right now, it is very likely that if we don't do something we going to be joining a neighboring school. Will that make a difference with our public? I don't know.

"We would like to think we would build a new school here and still run it as WRV. The taxpayers will ultimately decide."