DELAWARE — Buckeye Valley Local Schools formed in 1963 through the consolidation of Elm Valley, Radnor Local and Scioto Valley schools.
More than six decades later, the district’s identity still reflects the small towns and townships that make up Buckeye Valley.
Even BARONS, the district’s longtime mascot, represents its communities:
- B — Brown Township / Bellpoint community
- A — The village of Ashley
- R — Radnor Township
- O — The village of Ostrander
- N — Norton community
- S — Scioto Township
The district’s brown and gold colors also carry local significance. Brown represents the soil beneath the area’s farmland, while gold symbolizes corn at harvest.
“We are the Barons based on our history, I don’t know any other Barons across the country who could do that,” Buckeye Valley Superintendent Ric Stranges said.
That history served as the starting point Monday as Stranges and members of the Buckeye Valley Board of Education spoke to Delaware City Council about where the 206 square-mile district has been — and where it’s headed.
Buckeye Valley expects to add roughly 400 students by 2030 — a projection Stranges believes could prove conservative.
The discussion touched on Buckeye Valley’s expected growth, its financial position and ways the city and neighboring school district can continue strengthening their relationship.
4 counties, 11 townships, 500,000 miles, 5 stars
Buckeye Valley has an east and west elementary, one in Ostrander and one in Ashley. The district also has a middle school and high school on its main campus in Troy Township.
“If I go visit from east to west, I have to pack a lunch it’s that far,” Stranges said.
The district’s footprint covers four counties: Delaware, Marion, Morrow and Union, and 11 townships across those counties.
“It is a massive logistical feat to do what we do every day,” Stranges said. “But that’s part of the fun, to continue to make [all the different communities] feel like they’re part of our school district.”
School bus drivers operate along 36 double routes, transport 1,800 students, guzzle about 4,700 gallons of gas per week and log around 500,000 miles annually.
Buckeye Valley is also dominant not just by land mass, but classroom performance. For three consecutive years now the district has achieved a five-star rating on its state report card.
“The two elementary schools got special awards the last two years, and that is the governor’s science of reading awards,” Stranges said. “[The award] highlights our high standards to prepare kids in our district for reading.”
DELAWARE COUNTY SCHOOLS’ REPORT CARDS:
Middle school addition speaks to fiscal responsibility
Stranges said the district knows growth is already here and will continue for the foreseeable future — meaning Buckeye Valley will eventually need more space.
The district has already taken one major step to accommodate that growth by fully funding a $20 million middle school expansion using reserves it had set aside for the project.
The 40,000 square-foot addition will give added space to the fifth graders there, with 16 purpose-built classrooms, four state-of-the-art labs, a full-size gym and a dedicated traffic-mitigation bus loop.
Crews broke ground on the project this spring and the district expects to cut the ceremonious ribbon of the new addition in August 2027.
“That’ll help us get through the next few years, but we also know what’s coming,” Stranges said. “We’ll be having to ask at some point, too.”
Stranges also explained the district’s “stewardship engine” to show the district’s fiscal integrity and transparency. The model revolves around the following information:
- Local property taxes generate about two-thirds of the district’s operating revenue.
- Buckeye Valley’s fiscal team was awarded the Auditor of State Award for a clean audit with zero findings.
- About 77% of general fund expenditures are routed directly to instructional staffing and benefits, maximizing classroom impact.
- Maintained positive ending cash balances across the entire five-year forecast period through budget management.
Board members want annexation talks with city to improve
Once council began discussing its projects, mainly housing and commercial developments that rely on future utility infrastructure upgrades like Price Farms, board members began to ask council if they can be involved in these conversations sooner.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Anna Kelsey explained that as of July, the city has 7,800 housing units in its pipeline, 1,500 units under constructions and 2,400 units fully approved for construction. Several of those developments fall within the Buckeye Valley district lines or close to them.
For a lot of these developments, the city has needed to annex land from surrounding townships and establish either school or non-school tax increment financing districts (TIFs).
Council and Buckeye Valley Board of Education members Jeni Reely and Donald Dicke explained that while a city’s limits change, a school district’s typically does not.
The group agreed that keeping Buckeye Valley better informed about future annexations would help the district plan for growth. Earlier communication would allow the district to better anticipate enrollment increases, plan financially and ensure it receives the funding associated with new development.
While there weren’t specific projects board members had an issue with, they asked to be kept up to speed as the city continues to grow and annex more land.
