Cutrona adds $33M to new state budget to build Canfield school

CANFIELD — The inclusion of $33 million in the Ohio House version of the state budget to fund a new middle school in Canfield is of “tremendous assistance to the district,” the district’s superintendent said.

State Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield and a Canfield schools graduate, got the money included as an amendment to the House version of the budget bill. It still needs to be approved by the Ohio Senate and signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine.

“This is a win for Canfield, it’s a win for the students and my constituents,” said Cutrona, a member of the House Finance Committee. “I’m honored to have brought this unprecedented funding for the Canfield school.”

Canfield schools Superintendent Joe Knoll said of Cutrona’s amendment: “That’s an amazing accomplishment. I don’t know if that’s ever happened as a legislator. It’s remarkable. We’re hopeful it gets through (the Senate) and signed by the governor. It’s a good day in Canfield. I hope it comes to fruition.”

Voters overwhelmingly rejected a 6.9-mill, 37-year bond proposal on the May 2022 ballot for a $107.8 million project that included a new pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade campus and renovations to the high school.

Shortly after that, the district started considering other options and a volunteer committee was formed to make recommendations.

There were three options considered, ranging in estimated cost from $91 million to $104 million.

The committee is recommending the $104 million option with the school board meeting May 17 to make a decision.

The $104 million option is to build a new elementary K-4 building at the Hilltop site, a new middle school at the present Canfield Village Middle School property and to do extensive renovations to the high school.

If the $33 million is finalized by the state, it would reduce the school district’s cost for work by about one-third, Knoll said.

“It will be a tremendous assistance to the district,” he said.

Cutrona called Knoll last weekend to say he was going to work to include the money for the Canfield school as an amendment in the state budget. The House approved the budget Wednesday.

Cutrona said he’s talked for more than a year to “a lot of stakeholders and folks passionate about replacing the middle school. I’ve been advocating for it. It’s a major need for my district.”

The middle school is more than 100 years old and in disrepair, Cutrona said.

“It’s vital to the community that it be replaced,” he said. “It’s falling apart. It’s becoming a danger to the students. For me, I’m passionate to get this done. It’s in the heart of my district, and it will be done without an increase in property taxes.”

Cutrona said getting the $33 million as a budget amendment was “a way to fix a massive issue in a unique way. Different situations require creative solutions, and that’s exactly what this amendment did.”

Cutrona said he spoke to state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, about keeping the amendment in the Senate version of the budget bill, and Rulli supports it. Rulli’s Senate district includes Canfield.