CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) — After voters in Canfield said ‘no’ Tuesday to a bond issue to build two new schools and renovate the high school, the school board met Wednesday to decide what comes next.

The next election is the March 19 primary, which makes the deadline to decide whether to try again Dec. 12. This gives the the board just 34 days to decide.

School board member Dave Wilkeson knows something needs done with the school buildings in Canfield.

“We’ve got HVAC issues, we’ve got foundation issues,” Wilkeson said.

At Wednesday’s school board meeting, Wilkeson laid out three options for another levy that could be on the March 19 primary ballot.

The first would be to ask for $50 million to put new roofs on all the buildings.

“Throwing Band-Aids and lipstick on the pigs,” said Wilkeson.

The second option would be to ask for $80 million, much of which would go toward replacing the middle school and making the needed repairs at the other three buildings. The third option would be to ask again to build two new buildings and renovate the high school.

Superintendent Joe Knoll and board member Nader Atway joined the discussion.

Wilkeson: “The problem is we need to have that scenario in place in terms of the money side of things.”
Atway: “And that would have to be decided by December?”
Knoll: “If you’re going to put something on March 19, we have to have all the resolutions done by that Dec. 12 date.”

The majority of the committee would like to see something on the March 19 ballot.

Another option not mentioned would be to do nothing, of which Lex Calder, with the committee to support Canfield Schools, was not in favor.

“We’re ready to jump back in, and we want to start getting this back out there early,” Calder said. “The numbers you put out — we’ve had this discussion before — that $80 million around there seems to be where people are like, they know they need the middle school.”

There will be two new school board members come Jan. 1 as well.

“I think it’s important that the new board members are going to have to weigh in on whether that’s something they want to do,” Wilkeson said.

The board did pass a special needs resolution, which is not a commitment but allows the board the opportunity to at least consider a March levy. Special meetings and conversations with the new board members will also likely be needed.