WOOSTER, Ohio — Wooster School District Superintendent Gabe Tudor shared the $67 million Facilities Master Plan during a regular Nov. 19, 2024, school board meeting, outlining the district's strategy for addressing enrollment growth, modernizing facilities, and planning the future of the historic Cornerstone Elementary.
The proposal includes constructing a new middle school, implementing redistricting, and preserving community values through thoughtful redevelopment.
Tudor tells News 5 that the plan was put together using community input and district research.
“This new plan is less money [than the 2023 failed bond issue], continues to keep a neighborhood school approach for our primary grades, and also moves us to grade-leveling a little sooner,” he says. “We tried to connect to what was important to our community.”
Key features of the Facilities Master Plan include:
A new middle school on the high school's campus
The proposed new middle school would accommodate over 900 students in grades 6-8, addressing the growing enrollment and providing more modern learning spaces.
The proposed new middle school would:
- Have a collaborative, flexible building design.
- A small athletic complex for middle school activities (like a track and football field) and overflow events for the high school.
- Improved traffic flow with centralized busing between the middle school and high school.
District leaders say a new middle school would help with overcrowding in some area schools.
“We’re already out of room at Kean Elementary, where we recently added modular classrooms,” Tudor tells News 5.
Redistricting to address Enrollment
Another part of the levy is redistricting to address enrollment shifts and Wooster’s housing growth, with over 1,000 new units planned, primarily on the city’s north side.
K-2 Realignment: Kindergarten through 2nd-grade students will be redistributed to Kean, Melrose and Parkview elementary schools.
Grade-Level Schools with Bond Passage: By 2028, grades 3-5 will move to Edgewood, and preschool programs will relocate to either Parkview or Kean.
Contingency Plan if Bond Fails: Without the new middle school, grades 3-4 would remain at Cornerstone due to space constraints.
The plan focuses on the third grade, and that is on purpose.
“Third grade is when the state’s Reading Guarantee and a lot of testing comes about,” Tudor says. “We feel it is a good time for our student to kind of move out of the neighborhood school approach for collaborative measures.
In Tudor’s school board presentation, he called redistricting “necessary regardless of the bond outcome. But we aim to simplify changes for families and staff by ensuring a consistent structure.”
Addresses the future of historic Cornerstone
A 2022 Educational Adequacy Study of Cornerstone highlighted significant challenges, including undersized and inflexible spaces, safety concerns, and outdated infrastructure.
The district plans to work with Wooster Growth, a city council subsidiary, to explore options. Those options include repurposing the site for housing, community use, and green space while preserving its historic facade.
“It’s expensive to maintain and not conducive to an elementary educational setting," Tudor tells News 5. “But we recognize the community’s passion for the building and are balancing that with plans for redevelopment.”
The cost
The bond issue will appear on the May 2024 ballot.
Estimated Millage Rate: 3.43–3.5 mills.
Taxpayer Impact: Approximately $119 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually.
State Contribution: The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission will co-fund $9 million of the project, covering 31% of the state-approved square footage. However, the final financial responsibility largely falls on the district and local taxpayers.
Tudor acknowledges that money likely played a key role in the previously failed bond. This is certainly a reduction.
“We are interred to hear what our community wants and excited hear their feedback,” Tudor said when asked about the new taxpayer impact.
The plan reflects a reduced financial ask compared to previous proposals, focusing on balancing needs and historic preservation.
The bond issue will appear on the May 2024 ballot, with further details about the project to be shared in community forums leading up to the vote.
If approved, the district aims to begin construction, with a target completion date for the middle school by fall 2028.
