The Canfield Board of Education now has about a month before deciding on a bond levy for $70,026,170.66. Superintendent Joe Knoll presented the numbers at the May 8 meeting during a State of the Schools presentation.

Before presenting the latest numbers, Knoll ran over a timeline of the journey the district has been on. It began in November of 2022 when voters rejected a bond levy for about $108 million that would have built a one-campus school on the City of Canfield’s Red Gate Farm Property southwest of the city. That levy was voted down by 72%.

A second attempt was made in 2023 that would have seen new K-4 and 5-8 school buildings at a cost of $105 million, which was defeated at the polls by 61% saying no.

“We had a lot to work through,” Knoll said.

In November, after the second rejection, the board took a break then resumed facility planning discussions from January this year through April. At the May 8 meeting, the board looked at a proposal to replace the middle school by building a new one on the same property, behind the present school. The proposal also included power upgrades, a secure vestibule and pavement improvements at C.H. Campbell; a secure vestibule, roof and paving at Hilltop Elementary; and a new roof, paving and drainage improvements at the high school. All those improvements and the new middle school were calculated as anticipated costs for 2024, which totaled $67,307,707.71.

Knoll said the price tag was recalculated after an April 18 update to the cost set which increased to 7.1%. That drove the price for the new middle school and renovations to the district’s other three school buildings to just over $70 million.

Atway said, “We have to look at what is best for where we are at. The cost for a new middle school will just keep growing the longer we wait.”

He then asked each board member to say how they felt about going after a new middle school with renovations to the other buildings.

“It would be awesome to do everything, but we can’t,” Matt Campbell said. “The middle school needs to be addressed now.”

“We are probably just going to have to go with the middle school and the renovations,” Betsy Ahlquist said.

Traci DeCapua noted failed levy attempts.

“We tried in 2022 and it didn’t work. We tried again in 2023 with just two schools. Now we are backed into a corner. We need a new (middle) school and the renovations. I am in favor of building on the existing middle school property.”

Looking to the next election, Steve Demaiolo shared his thoughts.

“We have to look at the largest need, which is a new middle school. God willing, we can pass the levy this November,” he said.

Knoll said he will prepare the resolution for the next board meeting

Knoll also got approval for $3 million in summer projects that include updating the tennis courts and improving drainage at the high school baseball and softball fields, updating part of the high school parking lot and installing air conditioning at C.H. Campbell.

All the summer projects are included in the bond levy list of things needing to be done. Knoll said the board will have to decide how to handle those projects as related to the bond levy.

During the public presentation portion of the meeting, resident Jason Henry was the first to speak. He was in favor of the new middle school.

“We need new schools and if we put up a bond levy, it needs to pass,” he said. “I don’t think the plan you are offering is the best plan. Will I vote for it? Yes. Will I support it? Yes.”

Resident Ed Kay also addressed the board and asked how the schools got into the shape they are in. He said there seems to be distrust in the community when it comes to financial issues.

“Also, why is a new middle school being built on a street with no sidewalks,” he said. “I would suggest a new middle school built on the Shields Road property, tear down the middle school, then build a new combined elementary building on that site.”

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