Lakota Board Considers Funding Options for Master Facilities Plan

The Lakota Board of Education reviewed possible funding options for its Master Facilities Plan (MFP) at a special meeting on May 4. The meeting was scheduled after a nationwide BoardDocs outage on April 27 made the original meeting agenda and supporting materials unavailable to the public.

The MFP is a long-term plan designed to improve learning opportunities for students, reduce the number of school transitions and address large class sizes. The plan could also create operational savings by closing three older buildings, allowing teachers to stay in one building rather than travel between schools and improving transportation efficiencies with fewer grade-band transitions.

Lakota is now eligible for 33% state co-funding through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC). The State has indicated these funds would be available within the next year, compared to the typical wait time of eight-to-ten years. 

The total estimated cost of the plan is $300 million:

• State Share:            $77 million
• Lakota’s Share:        $223 million

The MFP funding discussion also included the expected need for an operating levy in November 2028 to support daily operations. The last time Lakota asked for an operating levy was in 2013.

The Board approved two funding options to be reviewed by the Butler County Auditor:

• Replacement bond issue
  A 2.23 mill bond is scheduled to expire in 2028. This option would replace it with a new bond at the same rate. This means property owners would not see an increase in taxes for the Master Facilities Plan. Bond funding can only be used for construction and cannot be used for daily operating expenses.
• Earned income tax
  This option would not impact property taxes. Instead, it is based on earned income and is paid only by those who work. It does not apply to pensions, Social Security or investment income. The proposed 0.75% earned income tax could be used for a broader range of expenses than property tax levies.

The Board would need to take a second vote to be on November’s ballot.