New high school coming to Monroe after voters approve tax bond

One of Butler County’s fastest growing school systems now has a new high school in its future after voters here approved a new school tax.

Monroe Schools saw its 3.49-mill tax bond issue for a new high school win voter approval Tuesday by a wide margin of 64% casting a “yes” vote and 36% opposing, according to unofficial results from the Butler County Board of Elections.

The leader of Monroe Schools said Wednesday there is now much planning and many details to work out but estimated the district - along the eastern border of Butler County next to Interstate 75 – will have a new high school building in about three years.

More importantly, said Monroe Schools Superintendent Robert Buskirk, millions of dollars of state funding are now activated in the wake of local voters approving the new school tax.

“By passing the local share of the bond issue, we are now partnered with the OFCC (Ohio Facility Construction Commission) and they will work with the district on setting next steps and timelines,” Buskirk told the Journal-News.

“The overall project usually takes about three years, including design and construction.”

The state — through Monroe’s years-long wait to partner with the OFCC — would provide $25.36 million of new high school’s $62.10 million projected price tag.

Preliminary plans call for the new high school building to be built in the southeast corner of Monroe’s school campus on Yankee Road, which currently houses grades 2-12 in a single, three-winged school complex.

Monroe’s new 3.49-mill rate – which will not begin to be collected until 2029 – will translate to $122 annually per $100,000 home when it starts, or slightly less than the current 3.50-mills it will replace that year, said district officials.

The new high school project has been years in the making and saw school officials face numerous delays in being approved by OFCC officials for the state funds, which are now available to the school system.

Residents will see a slightly lower school bond issue tax bill when the just-approved tax starts in 2029.

In that year, the district’s current 3.50-mill tax bond for the existing 2-12 school complex will be paid off.

The planning process – coordinated with the OFCC – will include school families and other local residents’ opinions on what features they would like to see in the new high school, said Buskirk.

“We will continue to work with our community to get input moving forward.”

The district has seen its student population nearly double since 2004 with increasingly crowded classrooms in recent years while population growth in Monroe has risen steadily.

Buskirk said the district is grateful for its residents’ support.

“We are thrilled with the passage of the bond issue to fund the building of a new high school,” he said.

“This is a tremendous step forward for our students and our district. We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support from our community.”

Source: Michael Clark, Journal News