For some time, the River Valley Local School District Board of Education has publicly stated its belief that relocation of the middle school and high school campus is the most effective and economical way to deal with contamination at the campus.  We are pleased to announce an agreement in principle among the River Valley Local School District (the School District), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps), and the State of Ohio that will make relocation of the campus possible.  (Pictured l-r - Tom Shade, Chris Jones, Kevin Jasper -- click on photo to enlarge)

A formal agreement outlining specific terms will be signed by all parties at a later time upon passage of legislation, which has been introduced in Congress, the Corps will contribute $15 million toward the relocation of the middle school and high school campus.  The State of Ohio, by means of the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC), will contribute approximately $4.7 million to the relocation.  The remainder of the money will be contributed by the School District upon approval of the River Valley Board of Education and the successful passage of a comprehensive bond levy, which will be recommended to the voters in the River Valley Local School District, and through additional state support.

The School District, the Ohio EPA, and the Corps have publicly stated, and continue to believe that it is safe for the students and staff to be present for daily activities at the middle and high school campus, outside of the restricted areas.  It became apparent to the parties that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to conduct remediation activities safely with school activities ongoing.  Because the combined costs anticipated for the necessary remediation activities and the temporary relocation of school activities far exceed relocation costs, the permanent relocation of the middle and high school campus is the most economical and effective choice.

The agreement in principle calls for the State of Ohio's participation in the permanent relocation of the middle and high school campus to be accomplished under the OSFC''s Extreme Environmental Contamination Program.  The rules for that Program create an opportunity for the State of Ohio and the School District to evaluate the entire District and the funding of school construction within it.  As many of you know, the need for new elementary schools within the School District has been well documented.  The State of Ohio, the the OSFC and subject to the approval process, will provide partial funding for the elementary school projects as well.  The additional state support presents the School District with an opportunity to relocate the middle school and high school campus, with all new facilities, and the necessary funding for the construction of two new elementary schools with the passage of a single bond levy in the amount of $19.6 million under the current estimates for the entire project.

Although much work remains to be done to accomplish a final resolution, the School District would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have cooperated to make that resolution a possibility.  The Ohio EPA, the Ohio School Facilities Commission, the Ohio Department of Health, the Corps of Engineers, and our State and Federal elected officials have all made extraordinary efforts to address many complicated issues before this agreement in principle could be achieved.  Most importantly, the School District would like to thank the entire River Valley community for their support and patience as we have tried to address these serious concerns while still providing quality education that our children deserve.  The River Valley Local School District believes that today's announcement marks more than the beginning of the best resolution of the environmental contamination;  it is the first step to a bright future for the entire River Valley Local School District.

Thomas G. Shade
Superintendent
River Valley Local School District