June 28, 2000

State offer is far too good to be refused

You could call it the chance of a lifetime.

But since it never has happened before &emdash; and may never again &emdash; it's really rarer than that.

The Tiffin City School District has a chance to build a new middle school building &emdash; something that has been needed for years, with more than half of the cost to be paid by the tax money district residents already have shipped off to the state.

If district residents during the next year approve a bond issue to finance $7.3 million of the $15.2 million estimated cost, the state will pay the remaining $7.9 million.

It's the same kind of deal being offered to districts across the state. Voters in New Riegel and Bettsville have said "yes," and the majority of the cost of new facilities for them will be paid by the state.

During coming weeks, the Tiffin Board of Education will be deciding when to ask for approval of the bond issue and on other related issues.

Whenever the vote comes, the response should be another "yes."

The buildings being used for the current middle school and junior high are beyond being updated to meet the needs of modern classrooms. District residents should be ready to approve funding for a new middle school, even without the state program.

The offer of $7.9 million through the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission simply adds to the urgency for the district to take action.

It would be foolish to pass up what probably will be the opportunity of the century.