Beechwood Schools: Century old wooden frames, water damage spur tax increase for new building
The state will need to match a portion of the tax increase in order for the money to be used for the new school.
Beechwood Schools: Century old wooden frames, water damage spur tax increase for new building The state will need to match a portion of the tax increase in order for the money to be used for the new school. Check out this story on cincinnati.com: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/northern-ky/2019/08/21/beechwood-school-tax-increase-fort-mitchell-building-old/2054476001/
Julia Fair, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 10:06 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2019
The exterior of Beechwood Schools complex. (Photo: Enquirer file photo)
Going back to school will come at a higher cost for Beechwood Independent Schools parents next year.
The wooden frames within the 100-year-old school have worn so much that administrators decided a new school needs to be built. It'll cost up to $16 million, funded by a tax increase the Beechwood Independent Schools Board approved in May.
The change will cost the average home owner in the district $274 more in taxes in taxes than the previous year. That's based off of the average Fort Mitchell house value of $274,000. Most students living in Fort Mitchell attend Beechwood Schools.
Residents will see the increase on their fall tax statements for the 2020 calendar year.
The school structure situation is so dire that the entire board approved the tax change, which Superintendent Mike Stacy said is unheard of.
"(It) definitely speaks to the importance of the issue and the importance that we want to maintain a quality institution for our kids," Stacy said.
The board approved a real property tax set at 96.3 cents per $100. That's about an 11% percent increase from the 86.3 per $100 tax set for the 2018-2019 school year, which brought in $5.8 million in revenue.
This change means about $700,000 additional revenue will be brought in, which will be set aside specifically for renovations. Legally, those funds cannot be used for other school resources, such as teacher salaries.
The additional money allows the school to apply for a bond worth up to $16 million, Stacy said.
This is not set up to be a temporary tax increase that has an expiration date when the project is done. It will be up to future boards to adjust the real property tax, Stacy said.
"The City of Fort Mitchell has a great working relationship with Beechwood Schools, but their taxes and operations are outside our purview," said Fort Mitchell Mayor Jude Hehman.
The 100-year-old building has structural damage
If the building, shared by kindergartners to high school students, was built in the 50s or 60s with steel or concrete frames, they wouldn't be in this situation, Stacy said.
But the wood frames that held the first classes in the 1920s and 1930s have water damage. A lot of it. There's water in the basement and the foundation is leaking. Ceilings fell in some rooms, which are blocked off from staff and students.
"Water is just not good for any structure," Stacy said.
People ask Stacy why he doesn't just renovate the building. He said he would, if the cost were less.
The cost to gut the building, keep the façade and meet code would be "astronomical" compared to just building a new school, Stacy said.
In 2010, construction crews finished renovations for 18 classrooms, the elementary school front offices and a STEM room. That project stemmed from the Kentucky Department of Education declaring the needs "urgent" and the state funded the project. When it was complete, the school didn't tear down that "urgent" building section due to an enrollment increase.
Beechwood High School has about 650 students, according to the school's website.
"No superintendent wants to go after a tax increase," he said. "Both personally and professionally, it's a difficult situation."
For the tax increase to successfully fund the new school, the state needs to at least match a portion of the increase. That won't happen until the Kentucky General Assembly looks at its budget in 2020.
If the state doesn't help, the board will have to scale back the construction plans, Stacy said.
Right now, it's estimated that the construction to knock down the building and start new could begin in December 2020.
Stacy wants to give residents a chance to talk to him about the change.
He will be at Bigbby Coffee in Fort Mitchell on:
Thursday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Julia is the new Northern Kentucky government reporter through the Report For America program. Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at jfair@enquirer.com and follow her on twitter at @JFair_Reports.
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