NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) - New Philadelphia school officials say the opinions of more than 1,500 people have been narrowed down to five options for addressing the district’s overcrowded buildings situation. 

Superintendent David Brand says the options include building a pre-k through 12th-grade campus at the edge of town, a combination of renovating and building new or simply just maintaining the existing schools.  

“Through the engagement meetings here, through online surveys, through a third-party telephone poll and the various aspects, and so taking all of that feedback and all of that information, we were able to with community input come together with five potential scenarios,” he says.  

The solutions for building new or renovating could cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $17 a month because of state assistance. A plan to just maintain the buildings, which would not qualify for that state funding, could cost about $18 a month. 

“That comes from that 55 percent that the state will kick in on these new projects,” Brand says. “That’s an immense amount of money, and to be able to have that alleviate the burden of the local taxpayer to be able to have the facilities for the future I think is just amazing.”  

The school board had a final meeting for public input Monday evening. Brand says the board will consider that feedback when making a final decision on how to proceed.  

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