For the upcoming levy I see 3 main concerns that stretch all the way back to the last levy: Cost, Cornerstone, and Neighborhood Elementary Schools.
Here is the quick summary of the new levy with respect to those concerns:
There is no “Spend no money option” available, just spend more and get new or spend less and fix old.
The school district is mindful of the community value of Cornerstone.
There is no way to voice preference on neighborhood or grade level elementary schools during this vote.

The Cost –
Both old and new plans rely on a property tax increase.
This is more difficult for those with fixed income.
It also comes as our property taxes just jumped, though a State system did save us from the worst of the increase, the school district funding only increased 4%.

If the levy Passes:
The new levy is asking for about half of the old levy price and would build only 1 new school, a middle school.
The cost is $67 million over 36 years and would increase property tax bill by $119 per year per $100,000 of property valuation.
This is an equivalent starting rate of 3.4 mils.

If the levy Fails:
Cornerstone has had renovation delayed for many years now because the district has intended to stop using it.
If it is to still be used as a school then those renovations cannot wait any longer.
The cost to bring Cornerstone up to basic code is estimated at $26 million, extras for better schooling would be an additional $11 million.
The district does not have $26 million to spend on these basic repairs and renovations.
It would likely need to return to the voters to ask for improvement funds.
This does not happen if the levy passes because the district would stop upkeeping Cornerstone.

Cornerstone’s Fate –
In the past plans the district had sought to demolish all or most of Cornerstone but keep a school on the site.
This was a divisive plan in the community because some wanted new schools while others wanted to preserve the Cornerstone history and architecture.

If the levy passes:
The district will stop using Cornerstone as a school after the new middle school is built.
In that building time of 2-3 years the district will finalize how to get the Cornerstone property to a different owner.
The district is not looking to make money on the sale or transfer of Cornerstone.

The district currently prefers to transfer the property to the Wooster Growth organization, which can legally be more choosey about who develops the site and for what reason.
The district has stated that the YMCA has shown some interest in the site and that it would strongly prefer that the site still be used to serve the community in some way.

If the levy fails:
Cornerstone will be retained as a school building.
It will be repurposed to house all of Wooster’s 3rd-4th grades.
The building will need repairs and renovation to the roof, HVAC, windows, and accessibility with urgency.
The district will be redrawn and restructured for the 2026-2027 school year.

Neighborhood Elementary Schools –
The district ran a poll and discovered that the community and educators were of two minds.
The community generally favored neighborhood elementary schools.
Educators generally favored grade leveled elementary schools, like the high school.
The board of education removed this as an issue for the levy last November.
Pass or fail, students in 3rd grade and up will be collected into a single school location for the entire district while K-2nd will remain at neighborhood schools in Parkview, Melrose, and Keen.
There is no way to vote in May to support or reject this change, all that changes are the details of what buildings are used for what grades.

If the levy passes:
The new middle school will be constructed over about 3 years.
Nothing changes until the building is finished, then the rest happens.
Cornerstone is closed.
The district lines for what kids go to which neighborhood school will be redrawn to more even class sizes.
Grades K-2nd will remain distributed by neighborhood at Parkview, Melrose, and Keen.
Edgewood houses 3-5th grades for the whole district.
The new middle school holds grades 6-8th for the whole district.
The high school houses 9-12th grades for the whole district.

If the levy fails:
The district lines for what kids go to which neighborhood school will be redrawn to more even class sizes for the 2026-2027 school year.
Grades K-2nd will remain distributed by neighborhood at Parkview, Melrose, and Keen.
Cornerstone will house 3-4th for the entire district.
Edgewood remains grades 5-7th.
The Highschool remains 8-12th.
The 8th grade remains with the young adults at the high school.
The 5th grade remains with the middle schoolers at Edgewood.

I am interested to see how the community votes.