Kettering schools outline $222 million May 5 bond to fund 'Future Ready Facilities'

The Kettering Board of Education heard a presentation on March 3 that the district has filed paperwork to place a $222 million bond question on the May 5 ballot to fund segment 1 of its “Future Ready Facilities” plan, a district staff member said.

The presenter said bond levy proceeds can only be used for major construction, renovation or land acquisition, not day-to-day operations, and contrasted bond levies with operating and permanent improvement levies. The district’s slide deck projected an OFCC contribution of about $159 million toward the project; the presenter said that without state OFCC funds, renovating existing facilities would cost about $350 million.

The presenter also shared a homeowner cost estimate for clarity: for a property listed at $100,000 in the Montgomery County auditor records, the monthly cost to support the bond was shown as roughly $17.30 per month after ballot language certification, according to the presentation.

Why it matters: The discussion frames a choice between a targeted, OFCC-partnered construction plan and a more costly district-only renovation. If voters approve the bond, the district expects to leverage state construction funds; if not, district officials said the local-only renovation option would be substantially more expensive.

What’s next: District staff said documentation has been filed to place the question on the May 5 ballot. No board vote on placing the question was recorded during this portion of the meeting.