Funding for Facility Projects - Centerville City Schools

Centerville Schools' facilities include 1.3 million square feet of space in 15 buildings. To finance the maintenance and modernization of these facilities, the district relies on its Permanent Improvement Fund as its primary source of funding. Additionally, the district actively seeks grant opportunities to supplement its financial resources.

Permanent Improvement Fund

The Permanent Improvement (PI) Fund is designated for addressing building repairs, renovations, maintenance, and other long-term improvements needed for school facilities. PI funds are approved through local tax levies, and the district receives an annual budget of approximately $4.5 million for these purposes. PI funds are separate from the district's operating fund.

During the past school year, PI Funds were used for a variety of maintenance projects and safety enhancements. Here are highlights from some recent projects that were paid for with PI funds:

Image of group of high school students listening to contractors talk about soil sampling process

CHS-to-Clyo Road Project

The construction of a road connecting the Centerville High School campus to Clyo Road has been discussed since the district purchased the acreage next to CHS in 2017. This road extension is expected to create safer driving conditions for CHS students, staff, and community members, reduce traffic congestion in the CHS parking lot, and provide another entrance and exit from CHS to a main road. The road is expected to open in August 2025.

Centerville Schools is partnering with the City of Centerville to complete this project, reducing the cost to the district. The city is also eligible to apply for state grants, further reducing the overall cost of the project. Centerville Schools is expected to pay less than $385,000 out of the almost $2 million road extension project, which is significantly less than it would have cost the district to construct a road on its own. This amount will be paid from the district’s permanent improvement fund.

Image of lighting work behind visitor stands at CHS Stadium

Lighting upgrades at CHS Stadium

After several years of stability issues with the light poles on the visitor side of the stadium, the district moved ahead with replacing those poles. In addition, the lights on all four stadium poles are being replaced with LED lights. The stadium is used by PE classes, athletic teams, performing arts groups, and community organizations. The lower cost of operating LED lights also increases the opportunity for more field rentals.

Image of HVAC and lighting construction in CHS South Unit

HVAC upgrades in CHS South Unit

New HVAC units were installed in all three CHS units in 2015; however, new duct work was not added in the South Unit due to time and cost issues. Duct work and LED lighting was installed in South Unit during the summer of 2024.

CHS power line replacement

The underground power cables running to Centerville High School were over 50 years old. Three of the five lines were already replaced (one in late 2022 and the other two in previous years). The remaining two lines were replaced in the summer of 2024 after multiple power outages.

Image of pavement work behind Cline Elementary

Paving and concrete work

Centerville Schools has more than 1.7 million square feet of concrete and asphalt across the district. Each year, the Business Operations Department evaluates what concrete and pavement needs to be repaired or replaced, and summer 2024 work focused on Cline, Driscoll, Stingley, and Weller elementary schools, Tower Heights Middle School, Centerville High School, and the Board of Education Office.

Image of school bus stopped in neighborhood with red lights flashing

Purchase of new school buses

Seven school buses were purchased in July 2024. Replacing a few buses each year allows the district to upgrade the entire fleet approximately every 13-14 years rather than all at once.

Image of xylophone on newly constructed playground at Driscoll

Driscoll Elementary playground equipment

Upgrades are being made to each PreK-5 playground as funding allows. School PTOs have also contributed to these projects. Driscoll's new playground equipment is being installed in the fall of 2024 and includes a wheelchair-accessible path with musical instruments.

Partial roof replacement at Normandy Elementary

The portion of the roof at Normandy Elementary above the second grade hallway is 22 years old, and its replacement was identified as a need during the district’s facility assessment. The new roof is being installed during the fall of 2024.

Grant Funding

Through the summer of 2024, the district utilized COVID relief grants to cover operational expenses such as technology purchases, cleaning supplies and equipment, and personal protective gear. Other grant funding is sought by the district as frequently as possible to supplement its financial resources.

Here are some recent projects that were paid for primarily with grant funding:

Image of contractor replacing exterior door at Magsig Middle School.

Security enhancements for exterior doors

Centerville Schools recently completed a year-long project to upgrade security features on exterior doors throughout the district. Since July 2023, contractors have:

Replaced a number of exterior doors
Updated door hardware
Installed key fob entrance points for staff
Implemented an alert system that will notify the school office if a door has been left open

Over half of the funding for this project was provided through $843,000 in grants from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, with the remaining balance paid out of the district’s permanent improvement fund. Decisions about safety projects are based on security and vulnerability assessments that were conducted in district facilities over the past few years by Ohio Homeland Security and school resource officers from the Centerville Police Department and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Image of new HVAC units sitting on semi outside of Primary Village North

New HVAC units at Primary Village North

Replacement of these units, which were installed in 1990, was identified as a need during the district’s facility assessment. The project will be funded primarily using ESSER grant money, with the remaining balance covered by the district’s Permanent Improvement Fund. The new units were installed in late 2023.

Radios and night locks purchased

Additional radios and night locks for all doors at PVN and PVS, as well as some special education classrooms across the district, were purchased with funds from the Ohio Attorney General school safety grant. Additional grant funding is being pursued to purchase more night locks.

Image of Mr. Cowgill trying out the Raptor Visitor Management System at Cline Elementary

Raptor Visitor Management System at all schools

A $42,000 grant awarded by the Ohio Attorney General was used to install the Raptor Visitor Management System in all school buildings in 2022. This system compares visitor identification to a database that contains registered sex offenders from 50 states as well as local flags placed into Raptor by our district.