School Offices
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Manager
Forum Description: Discuss the city manager administration including all city departments.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4851
Printed Date: Nov 22 2024 at 6:24am
Topic: School Offices
Posted By: Molly
Subject: School Offices
Date Posted: Nov 08 2012 at 8:11pm
So the city manager wants to put the MCSD offices on the 4th floor of the city building at $5,400 a month, including utilities. She will give them the first 2 years rent for free. With the added utility costs going up and writing off $65,000 will this be an overall loss to the city. What did Les or Russ think about this?
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Replies:
Posted By: Marcia Andrew
Date Posted: Nov 09 2012 at 9:33am
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This has not been voted on by the School Board yet, so I am speaking as only one member, my thoughts, I am not speaking for the board. Moving the Middletown school district offices to the City Building will be a win-win, for the schools, the city, and the taxpayers that support both.
The school district has needed new office space for the central office staff for a long time, for at least the 7 years that I have been on the board. The offices are sub-standard, the roof leaks and the whole place is very uninviting for parents, teachers and the community. However, the school district has had to cut millions of dollars from our budget and so we have been clear that we cannot spend any money on new or better offices for administration. The school district owns the building but has to pay utilities and maintenance for the building and the parking lot.
The City, as a result of cuts in staffing that they have made over the years, is not fully utilizing the city building. There are lots of empty offices spread throughout the building. But they still have to pay utilities and maintenance for the entire building. Utilities might go up a little bit with more people using electricity, but no increase to heat and light the building. The reason that they are offering a waiver of the first two years rent is to make up for the cost to the schools of moving. After that, the rent is intended to cover the school district's share of the utilities for the building.
With the City agreeing to move people around to make the entire 4th floor available for the school district, the space would be a huge improvement for the school district, and allow for easier and more friendly space for parents, staff and community to meet with central administration. We could hold our board meetings in the City Council chambers, much better. And it won't hurt efforts to revitalize downtown to have the school staff working right downtown.
The end result on the bottom line, as I see it: No extra cost to the schools (and possibly a small savings) and a small increase in cash income to the city.
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Nov 09 2012 at 10:15am
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And, speculating of course, Ms. Andrew, do you think that sets up the current admin building for leveling.....with the old high school to follow? ------------- I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over. |
Posted By: Marcia Andrew
Date Posted: Nov 09 2012 at 1:54pm
| Vet, there is no connection. Administrative offices have never been included in the facilities master plan, for the reason I mentioned that the thought of spending any money on office space is dead on arrival. Moving the admin offices would make proceeding with a new middle school project no more or less likely to occur. |
Posted By: Miss Kitty
Date Posted: Nov 12 2012 at 3:01pm
| If the schools can't afford to move their employees and offices into the city building, what makes you think the city can afford to give two years of free rent. Once again the city of Middletown keeps GIVING!!!! I was all for the move until I read the city is giving two years away. Now the school system wants to shove a new middle school down our throats but they can't afford to pay for an administration move? Again, let the people of Middletown pay for everything. We don't need new schools or administration offices. We need new people with a strong vision to run our city and schools that will not depend on the people of Middletown to bail them out for their mis-spending........ |
Posted By: SupportMiddletown
Date Posted: Nov 12 2012 at 5:46pm
| This sounds like a very sweet deal for the school district, but not necessarily for the city. Are we sure that there is sufficient space in the city building to house the district? The fourth floor currently contains planning, engineering, community revitalization, the small business person, and several non-profits, I believe. While I know the city staff has shrunk, I would imagine the rest of the building will be very very tight. This is almost like the city throwing in the towel and saying they never expect to be fruitful again and need the space they once did. Or, perhaps, during the 10 year lease, the city will have to rent or buy other space elsewhere. |
Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Nov 12 2012 at 10:10pm
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Has nothing to do with roof leak, down sizing, economies of scale and scope. It's about this new found theory, where goes the city, there goes the schools.
Of course, hard to say Vail in bad location and need for move, when school administration is right up the street. Added bonus is administration can talk in same building about levies and new levies, without sunshine concerns. So predictable. Sigma Chi meets Kappa Alpha Theta. The education mecca downtown. Building one new school will do NOTHING for academics...but who cares, the voting for block now lives under the same roof. The dying city saving money after wasting 500,000 on Cincinnati State, PAC, others, but now wanting to help admin? Mindless. ------------- 'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill |
Posted By: digger-2
Date Posted: Nov 12 2012 at 10:54pm
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Acclaro - You are one bright light on MUSA. Too bad City Council isn't comprised of members with your credentials and intellect. Keep on enlightening us!
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Nov 13 2012 at 6:31am
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Well lookie here!!!!
Today's Journal... City, school district study possible office move By John Bombatch and Michael D. Pitman Staff Writers MIDDLETOWN — School and city administrations are expected to decide next month if they will become roommates. The city and Middletown Schools announced in late October the possibility of moving district offices into the city building at One Donham Plaza. The city currently occupies all or portions of every level in the city building “We’re in negotiations and we are examining figures now that will make this a win for the schools and a win for the city,” Gilleland said. “I can’t give you any figures right now, nothing is firm. I think it would be irresponsible for me to throw out any figures.”  NOW JUDITH FEELS IT WOULD BE "IRRESPONSIBLE" FOR HER TO THROW OUT ANY FIGURES". FUNNY, NEVER BOTHERED HER BEFORE. 
WE WERE ACKNOWLEDGED...... However, a post on MiddletownUSA.com states the city would get around $65,000 a year from the school district. Gilleland wouldn’t comment on the post, but Middletown school board President Marcia Andrew responded on the website. Andrew did not state if the figure was accurate, but said both governmental entities would benefit from sharing a building. “The school district has needed new office space for the central office staff for a long time,” according to the post by Andrew, who did not respond to phone calls and emails left Monday by The Journal. “The offices are sub-standard, the roof leaks and the whole place is very uninviting for parents, teachers and the community.” “We have been clear that we cannot spend any money on new or better offices for administration,” Andrews wrote, stating the board has cut millions of dollars from its budget. The post also states the city would waive the first two years of rent to help defray the school district’s moving costs. HEY! THE JOURNAL PEOPLE AND OTHERS DO READ THIS FORUM. WITH ~ 1200 MEMBERS HERE, WE PROBABLY OUTNUMBER THE PEOPLE IN TOWN THAT TAKE THEIR LOUSY NEWSPAPER. ------------- I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over. |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Nov 13 2012 at 8:59am
 ------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |
VietVet wrote:Posted By: Molly
Date Posted: Nov 13 2012 at 10:20am
I, too am glad that the post was noticed. As I understand, the small not-for-profits and a couple other folks will have to move.
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Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Nov 13 2012 at 10:53pm
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"WE WERE ACKNOWLEDGED...... This should show that many others are reading this blog and should to prove to us that maybe we should tone down some of the reteric if we want to be taken seriously by some of the residents.PacmanHEY! THE JOURNAL PEOPLE AND OTHERS DO READ THIS FORUM. WITH ~ 1200 MEMBERS HERE, WE PROBABLY OUTNUMBER THE PEOPLE IN TOWN THAT TAKE THEIR LOUSY NEWSPAPER. "  |