Superintendent's Message [2]

Dear Deer Park Community: 
 
Deer Park Schools will begin construction on several major projects as soon as school is let out for the summer that will result in significant upgrades to our Jr./Sr. High School building.

The first major project will be the relocation of our bus compound to the back southwest side of Crawford Auditorium.  This relocation will make way for a parking lot expansion along the south side of Crawford.  This will result in approximately 55 new parking spaces, which will include 6 new handicap spaces to provide easier access for all visitors to Crawford Auditorium.  We will also be installing a nice green space with sidewalks directly in front of Crawford where a blacktop parking lot currently sits.

Another major project will be the renovation of all of our science classrooms throughout the Jr./Sr. High School.  There will be new desks, furniture, cabinetry, lighting, water, gas, electric, paint, and flooring.  Our goal is to start with the science classrooms this summer and hopefully continue renovating a few classrooms every summer over the next several years.

This summer, another improvement will be the replacement of all the windows on the front side of the Jr./Sr. High School.  We will be reinstalling the big beautiful windows that were originally designed for the building and a part of the building when it was initially constructed in the 1950’s.  These windows will replace the small windows that you currently see along with the off-pink color stucco that were part of a 1980s energy project.

The final project this summer will be the construction of a secured entrance similar to what you see at Amity Elementary.  We will be installing a set of doors that will cordon off the main hallway and will prohibit visitors from walking in the front doors and then having direct access to walking either right or left down our main hallway before even entering our front office.

To fund these projects, we are using a variety of different funding sources.  To pay for the parking lot and science classroom renovations, we will be using monies from our permanent improvement fund.  This fund has been built up over the last several years primarily through significant savings on the Amity Elementary construction project as well as the sale of the Howard building on Matson Avenue.  We will be using federal ESSER dollars to pay for the installation of new windows and we have applied for a safety grant through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to pay for the secured entrance. 

It is important to note that NONE of these projects are a result of our approved operating levy that we passed in November of 2021.  The operating levy is strictly for day-to-day operating expenses and is not permitted by law to be used for building projects.  The same is true in that the permanent improvement dollars, which we are using for a couple of these projects, are not permitted to be used on operating expenditures.

The estimated completion date for all projects is Saturday, August 6th, 2022. 

Yours in Education,
Jay Phillips