Perry Local Schools Receives State Funding to Construct New Middle School
In a significant move towards enhancing educational infrastructure, Perry Local Schools announces its approval to participate in the Ohio Facilities
Construction Commission’s Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) to construct a new middle school. The Board of Education voted to approve the resolution to participate in the program in a special meeting on May 30, 2024.
Perry Local Schools will receive funding from the State of Ohio, covering the new middle school's entire project cost of $62,253,023. The funding comes through Perry’s partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s CFAP and Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP) as part of the facility master plan. Based upon discussions earlier this year, the district was hopeful to enter into partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission through CFAP within the next 3-4 years. However, Perry's project timeline was unexpectedly advanced due to other districts' inability to participate in the program at this time.
Superintendent Nathan Stutz highlighted the importance of taking advantage of this opportunity, emphasizing the district's ability to construct the middle school at no cost to taxpayers or the district: "We're thrilled to move forward with this project sooner than expected. With our three new elementary schools opening in the fall of 2024 and a new middle school on the horizon, we are taking a significant step forward in the district's long-term facility development strategy." While initially planning to address both a middle school build and high school renovations simultaneously, the new timeline will enable Perry to move forward with the construction of the new middle school now and strategically address necessary high school renovations over the
next 5-10 years. With the elementary construction project nearing completion, Perry is currently working on the new middle school site selection in collaboration with surveyors. A decision is expected before the upcoming school year. Subsequently, the district will enter the design and development phase, with plans to engage an architect by mid-to-late 2024 and hire a Construction Manager at Risk.