INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – A new school building to replace two old schools could form an educational campus in Independence. School board members discussed on Tuesday, April 15 putting a $50 million, 35-year bond levy to voters in November to replace both the primary and middle school buildings with one new building. But Superintendent Kelli Cogan said the new building would not lump all pre-K to eighth graders together – it would be designed to have two separate entrances and remain two schools with two principals. The plans have arisen after an architectural review carried out this spring recommended it would be better value for money to replace the two aged buildings altogether than attempt to refurbish them. Cogan said: “The architectural firm gave us updated numbers. There was a bond proposal in 2019 right before the pandemic and it didn’t pass, only just, so the board wanted to do due diligence and get the current costs for either renovating or for a new build for pre-K to eighth grade.” She said one of the key reasons a new build makes financial sense is then current buildings are too large for their purpose. “Our middle school is our old high school and was built many years ago. It is 123,000 square feet and our primary is another 56,000 square feet and what the architects are telling us is we need 101,000 square feet for all the students and if we combined the buildings the cost would be about $50 million.” Cogan added the school treasurer was also looking at whether the cost to voters could be reduced by paying off the existing high school bond early and the proposal to face voters would be a 35-year bond issue which would cost about $300 a year for a $200,000 home. A bond issue to renovate the two old schools would cost voters $62.7 million compared to the $50 million for a new building. The board will vote on its final preference next month. There are two options for locations for the new school – the first is the parking lot at the current middle school site and the second is where the soccer fields are at the high school. “We would like to have a campus feel for the schools in Independence,” said Cogan. “We would have all of pre-K to 12th grade on the same campus. We would have a building with its own entrance, secretary principal and drop-off for pre-K to fifth grade and another entrance for sixth to eighth grades with its own secretary, principal and drop-off.” “It makes sense for us as we have a lot of staff that travel between buildings to provide services and they would be able to see students all in one building and reduce the cost of transportation. We would only need one kitchen.” “Our high school is 25 years old and is an amazing space but our primary and middle schools do not have that same feel. The cost to renovate the buildings that are so old far outweighs the cost of building new and it is time to do that.” Cogan will be hosting a State of the Schools address on May 7 at 6pm where she and treasurer Jennifer Knapp will be talking to the community about the school finances as well as the board’s vision and mission of cultivating excellence. She promised voters images of the planned building would be available well before the vote in November. “I know it will be an uphill battle but it is what we need to do in all honesty for our students and to be fiscally responsible. Our treasurer is trying to release the high school bond a little early as we have been good stewards and maybe if we are just as fiscally responsible we can pay off this bond earlier as well.”