District buys 8 acres for future

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct name misspellings and misidentified speakers. NORWALK — Norwalk Schools is expanding its footprint around its campus, giving the district additional room as school leaders plan for needs that could be years or decades away. The board of education approved the purchase of at least eight acres near Christie Avenue for $200,000 during its Aug. 11 meeting. The land is adjacent to the high school and includes wooded property behind the practice football field. Superintendent Brad Cooley said there is no immediate project planned for the newly acquired property. Instead, the purchase gives the district control of land directly next to the developing school campus and preserves options for future boards. Board members said the district is unlikely to get another opportunity to acquire that much land directly adjacent to what will become its pre-K through 12 campus. The discussion also pointed to difficulties the district encountered while acquiring land needed for its new pre-K through eighth-grade building. Board members said securing sufficient property was critical to qualifying for state funding covering more than half of that project. Board member Alison Crawford said no one knows what Norwalk Schools may need 20, 50 or even 100 years from now, but purchasing the property now could give future boards options that otherwise might disappear. Cooley said the property includes more than seven acres of wooded land, along with additional property that could provide access toward Christie Avenue. He described the land as being behind the high school's practice football field and adjacent to existing athletic property. That access could become increasingly important as the district concentrates more of its operations around the same campus. Cooley said much of the district's traffic currently flows through Shady Lane. A connection to Christie Avenue could someday provide another route into and out of the school complex. "Think about the potential," Cooley said, describing Christie Avenue as another possible way to move traffic from the campus. The district has also discussed eventually locating a bus garage behind the Reagan facility, Cooley said, referring to the district's athletic facility that's the subject of an ongoing expansion. A future project could include a mechanic area, wash bay and expanded covered storage for buses. Cooley said such a facility likely would not open at the same time as the new school. Instead, it could be developed in stages as funding becomes available. The district would eventually like to place more route buses under cover, which Cooley said could help extend the life of the vehicles. Still, Cooley separated those long-term possibilities from the land purchase itself. "Nothing is planned for that wooded acreage now," Cooley said. He said the owner has strong ties to the district and wanted the schools to have the first opportunity to purchase the property. Cooley added that the land likely would attract other buyers if the district passed on the opportunity. The measure passed 4-0, with board member Kayla Burkett abstaining. Burkett disclosed before the vote that she owns property adjacent to the site. Cost covered in full The day after the board approved the land purchase, an anonymous donor came in with a big offer. They completely covered the $200,000 land cost. This is the same donor that gifted the district about $400,000 to put toward its campus construction project. The district announced and accepted this donation at its board meeting this past Wednesday. "This is incredible," Cooley said. "We have an anonymous donor that now has given nearly $600,000 to the district so money can be used for our kids and other purposes rather than on a land purchase." Here's what each board member had to say about the generous gift: • The board is grateful for the gift, according to board vice president Ralph Ritzenthaler. It shows the kind of community Norwalk has, and he is proud of that. "This is not just eight acres of land; this is eight acres of opportunity," Ritzenthaler said. "Whoever this person is has a visionary gift for our students, for their future." • The donation is "phenomenal," according to board member Jeremy Norris. He said children can thrive because of this generosity. "Thank you," Norris said. "Words cannot express how grateful we are." • "The long-term impact that these donations are going to have on our children, our community, it's wild to think about," Burkett said. • "We did not expect it. We could not be more grateful," Crawford said. "I was more than emotionally moved and cannot thank them enough." • "As it's been said, that investment will pay dividends for generations to come," board member Eric Gonzales said. "Students are going to be able to experience things both across the street and someday even over here that they wouldn't otherwise have been able to experience." Gonzales also commented on the community Norwalk has, saying it raises the bar over and over. He said the gratitude and impact are indescribable. "What a vote of confidence that is," Gonzales said. "To know that there are people out there who believe in what we're doing here and so much so that they're willing to open up their checkbook." Funding picture The purchase comes as the district continues managing major construction projects while preparing for a decline in state funding. Treasurer Joyce Dupont told the board state funding for the current fiscal year is expected to be about $500,000 below the previous year. That decrease comes despite stronger recent school income tax collections. Dupont said the district received its April-through-June school income tax payment at the end of July, and it was about $150,000 higher than the same quarter a year earlier. She cautioned, however, that income tax revenue can change quickly. The same quarterly payment had been down about $96,000 the previous year. For the entire last fiscal year, school income tax collections finished slightly more than $22,000 below the year before, while collections the previous year had been about $271,000 higher. The financial report led to an extended discussion about property taxes and efforts to change or eliminate Ohio's real property tax system. Dupont said she agrees property taxes are too high and said more of the burden has shifted toward homeowners and agricultural property as other sources of revenue have disappeared. At the same time, she cautioned against eliminating property taxes without establishing a stable replacement for schools and other local public services. Dupont said relying heavily on sales taxes could create another problem because collections fluctuate with the economy while schools must continue serving students even when revenue declines. The district plans another meeting before the end of August to review its financial forecast in greater detail. Construction continues Cooley also updated the board on construction activity around the campus. The district is moving forward with construction on its highly anticipated PreK-8 building project following a groundbreaking ceremony on May 19. Located on Shady Lane Drive directly across from Norwalk High School, the new two-story, two-wing facility is estimated to cost around $100 million. This state-of-the-art building is designed to consolidate and modernize the district's learning spaces, ultimately replacing several of Norwalk's aging elementary and middle school structures. Construction site work is currently underway, with the comprehensive build expected to take approximately three years to complete ahead of its scheduled opening for the 2029–30 academic year. He said work on the Reagan facility remains on schedule for completion around Christmas. The district is considering tying a ribbon-cutting ceremony to Hall of Fame activities in early 2027. Cooley said the high school parking lot is another looming expense. Heavy construction equipment is adding wear to a lot that already needs significant work, and the district expects to eventually direct substantial permanent improvement money toward a more lasting repair rather than continuing to rely on patches.