And with classes scheduled to start Aug. 8, the work to replace the roof got under way quickly, said Ross school officials.
“The majority of the cost of the replacement will be covered by an insurance claim after the roof experienced significant damage during a spring storm,” said Ross Schools Superintendent William Rice in a recent announcement.
“After serving the school for 20 years, the shingled portion of the roof will be completely replaced to ensure the safety and integrity of the building without disrupting the educational environment (and) the estimated cost is $755,000.”
The busy pre-school activities leading into the start of the 2024-2025 school year will not be significantly impacted, said Ross Schools Treasurer Steve Castator.
“There will be minimal disruption — working on the front areas of the building first then moving to the back so things like open house, etc. won’t be impacted,” Castator told the Journal-News.
According to Rice, “we anticipate completion of the project prior to students beginning the school year.”
On July 18, the Ross Board of Education approved a “Resolution For Urgent Necessity” at its meeting to allow the district to move forward with the replacement prior to the start of the coming school year. The district and its insurance carrier have selected LEI Home Enhancements to perform the work.
Rice said the deductible and any costs above and beyond the claim amount will be funded by the district’s Permanent Improvement (PI) fund, “ensuring that our financial resources are allocated efficiently and responsibly, without impacting the district’s general (operating) fund.”
The high school opened in 2005 and enrolls 872 students in grades 9-12.
In April, the school was ranked 91st out of Ohio’s 1,152 public high schools, according to an annual review of public high schools by U.S. News & World Report.
The high school, which recorded a 97.7% graduation rate in the state’s most recent annual report card, was the only Butler County public high school to be listed this spring among the top 100 in Ohio in the yearly rankings.
Cincinnati’s widely acclaimed Walnut Hills High School in Hamilton County was ranked number one in the state, and Warren County’s Mason High School came in at 18th in Ohio.
The 2,800-student school system in the largely rural township in west Butler County has consistently been rated by the Ohio Department of Education’s annual state report cards as the overall best in the county and among some of the top school systems in southwest Ohio.
Rice said “we are thankful for the efforts of Treasurer Steve Castator and Maintenance Supervisor Devin Huff to ensure this project is completed in a timely manner while being great stewards of the community’s resources.”
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