Groundbreaking to Begin in June 2009
Architect's First Exterior Drawing of New Clay School
Portsmouth Daily Times article (March 17, 2009)
On March 4, 2008, the voters of Clay Local School District approved the construction of a new preK-12 school for the district. The $23 million dollar project has been in the planning stages for the past twelve months. The first contract for groundwork will be let for bidding within the next two weeks, with groundbreaking planned for June 2009.
Community Common Progress Edition
Community Common Progress Edition Supplemental Material Part 1 & Part 2
Portsmouth Daily TImes Progress Edition
New Clay Schools
Clay Schools Deliver Funds to Foundation
Clay Delivers $10,000 to Scioto Foundation/Clay Legacy Scholarship Fund
Clay Legacy Scholarship Fund has its own website
Clay Alumni Association Vice-President LaRue Horsley and a delegation from Clay High School delivered a check for $10,000 to the Scioto Foundation on January 2, starting the New Year by fulfilling a major commitment to their partnership in the Foundation’s new UCAN or University/College Access Network Program.
Accompanying Horsley in the presentation to SF Executive Director Kim Cutlip was Todd Warnock, Clay HS principal; Donnie Caseman, school board member; and Mark Rose, teacher, athletic director, and district public relations coordinator.
Under the UCAN plan, the Clay Schools’ $10,000 will be matched by $10,000 from the Scioto Foundation to help grow the Clay Schools’ Legacy Endowment Fund in a dramatic fashion. All Scioto County schools participating in the UCAN program are eligible for a match up to $10,000 each year for their scholarship endowment funds invested with the Foundation.
“With school systems supporting the UCAN program, the goals will be met,” Horsley said, adding that now the Clay Schools will be working toward a target of $15,000 per year for the future with the combined efforts of the school system and the alumni association. He noted the good cooperation from the schools for all their donations to the annual auction fundraiser.
Seven years ago the Clay Alumni Association joined the Scioto Foundation’s POEM or Program for Organizational Endowment Making, a program to assist groups in building permanent endowment funds.
“The Foundation has helped realize the dream that the alumni association envisioned in its long-range plan,” said Horsley. “We already had some growing opportunities for raising funds and the POEM program fit our goals well. Now the UCAN program is going to give us not only our goal, but a system that will continue to increase funds for scholarships.”
“Someday I don’t think Clay will have any problems giving a scholarship to every Clay student who gets accepted to college,” Horsley commented.
“Our goal is to get kids through college; that is the culmination of what the Clay Schools are working for,” stated Warnock, who thanked Horsley for all he has done for the schools.
The Clay Alumni Association has worked hard to raise funds each year,” commented Cutlip. “Each year LaRue has appeared on January 2 with an annual check to increase their endowment. Partnerships between alumni associations and schools like this one at Clay are what will make the UCAN plan work.”
Clay’s funds for 2008-2009 included $2,700 from a portion of basketball gate receipts; $4,700 from the alumni association’s yearly auction of goods and services contributed by local businesses, individuals, school alumni and the schools themselves; school payroll deductions from the administration, faculty, staff and students; and proceeds from the alumni association’s annual banquet.
“After the first five years of the UCAN plan, we hope to be able to bump the challenge up to $12,500 and potentially beyond to a $20,000 per year match for the schools,” Cutlip said.
“What you are doing here is going to make footprints for many other community groups,” Horsley told Cutlip.
Source: Kim Cutlip, executive director, Scioto Foundation
Clay Receives Check from AEP Ohio
AEP Ohio Presents Energy Efficiency Incentive to the Clay Local School District
Voters Approve New Clay Schools!
The voters of the Clay Local School District spoke loud and clear on Tuesday, March 4, 2008, as they passed the Clay bond issue for a new pre-K-12 school facility. Voters overwhelmingly approved the bond issue 1,071 to 382 (73.7% to 26.3%).
Thank you, voters, for helping "shape our future" !
WSAZ.COM Article & Video, Portsmouth Daily Times (Wednesday, Mar 5, 2008) article, & Election Night Results
Follow the bond issue and building project from campaign to completion
Related story material & NewClaySchools.com
Voters soundly pass Clay levy
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| Clay Local Schools superintendent Tony Mantell greets supporters of Clay's bid for a new pre-K-12 school building with a celebration cake Tuesday, after finding out it appeared voters had passed the school's levy. T.W. Allen/Daily Times |
After only four months, district gains support for new school
BY RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY, PDT Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 11:30 PM CST
Early Tuesday evening, hours yet before the polls had closed, Clay Local Schools superintendent Tony Mantell said he felt really good about the district's chances for passing the levy.
"We didn't do any kind of exit polls. So we really don't know. We just feel that everything we've heard from the community has been very positive. We haven't heard any negative comments. No negative materials passed out. Everyone seems to have gotten on board," he said.
Mantell and other supporters of the new school initiative gathered in the cafeteria of Clay High School Tuesday night, standing together and waiting for the results to come in.
As the night went on, Clay Township received a higher than expected voter turnout. Randy Basham of the Scioto County Board of Elections said that he delivered an extra 100 ballots to Clay Township precinct F, though he wasn't sure how many were actually used.
"Clay was big because of the school levy they had out there. We projected because of the presidential primary, that it would take so many ballots, and we sent those ballots out this morning (Tuesday). But as the day went on, there was a greater turnout," he said.
Polls closed in the county at 7:30 p.m. At 11 p.m. the preliminary results were announced to a cafeteria full of anxious people, that voters had passed a levy for new Clay schools.
The results at the end of the night were 1,071 in favor of the levy, and 382 against.
"We're all very, very pleased and very, very grateful to the voters of Clay Township. I think when you have a majority like that, it certainly shows that the community is unified around a school. In small town America, I believe that the school is the center of the community and this goes a long way for showing that voters of Clay Township do care about the schools and do care about the children," Mantell said.
He thanked voters for recognizing the value of the opportunity presented before them and supporting the levy.
"We're anxious to get started and we're going to make them proud," he said.
With this passage, the district plans to take advantage of new OSFC regulations which will contribute 81 percent of the cost of a new $21 million K-12 school building. The remaining 19 percent, or $4 million, will be bourn by the local school district. That cost will be covered by a 6.8 mill levy that the voters passed on Tuesday, which includes a 0.5 mill maintenance levy required by the state.
Mantell said the school already has an existing five year 4.5 mill permanent improvement levy which is set to expire in July. The existing levy wouldn't be eligible to fund the new school, and will not be renewed once it expires. Ultimately, Mantell said, it's only a difference of 2.3 mills to the voter.
Mantell said he hopes to break ground in 2009 and have the doors open by 2010, but will most certainly be open by 2011.
The new building is expected to be a multi-floor K-12 facility, seated directly in front of the existing Clay High School. In further efforts to save money and use funds to develop more learning spaces, the district plans to save portions of the current high school, such as the gymnasium and classrooms, to be converted into administrative offices.
Mantell said that by deferring the project only a few months, the district has been able to reduce the tax payer responsibility by about 40 percent.
Reference
Ottney, Ryan Scott. "Voters Soundly Pass Clay Levy." Portsmouth-dailytimes.com. 4 March 2008. 6 March 2008 <http://portsmouth-dailytimes.com/articles/2008/03/05/news/1news_clay.txt>.
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Clay LSD 2012-2013 School District School Calendar
ATHLETIC INFORMATION
Attention: Please support the Clay Athletic Boosters and the Clay LSD by registering your Kroger Plus Card. Check out the following link for registration directions and information:Kroger Plus Cards. All Kroger Plus Cards MUST be renewed this year (May 1) if you want to continue to support the Clay Local Schools.