OXFORD — The first step toward alternative financing for a new Kramer Elementary school building was taken by the Talawanda Board of Education at a work session Monday evening, but many more steps and decisions lie ahead.

Chief among those decisions will be whether to actually go ahead with the idea of using Certificates of Participation funding for the project.

Monday’s 5-0 vote merely gets the paperwork started on COPs funding so that a specific interest rate can be determined and more specifics put into place. District treasurer Mike Davis repeated what he said at two prior public meetings — the board can put a stop to the process anytime until a final vote on it, expected in approximately 90 days.

In the meantime, the board will hold a series of public “discovery” sessions to determine citizen and board sentiment about such issues as location and size for a new Kramer school.

COPs funding would allow the district to issue bonds to raise the money needed for construction but pay it back using the district’s Permanent Improvement funds over 36 years and not go to the voters for additional millage.

“Where we are here tonight is to determine whether COPs funding is the right way to finance it,” board president Mark Butterfield said. “We’re at a crossroads here. This is the best financing option we’ve seen in a long time.”

Board members Darrell Smith and Lois Vollmer, who both said they were not ready to vote on the question at last week’s monthly board meeting, went along with taking the first step toward starting the COPs paperwork, but were hesitant Monday and expressed skepticism.

“I like thinking outside the box. That’s great, but tying up money for 36 years scares me,” Smith said.

Vollmer echoed that saying, “It scares me absolutely to death with the state of the economy today, to tie up money for 36 years. I absolutely will not vote for a bond issue.”

She said she favors the COPs funding idea but wants to see more of the specifics as they develop.

Davis presented a series of slides in his presentation to answer more questions that developed from board members at last week’s monthly meeting.

At that session, Smith had asked for numbers to renovate the former high school building for use as a middle school and for renovation of the current middle school as an elementary. Monday, Davis showed figures that such a renovation project would actually cost more than the new construction, in part because of downsizing both buildings to accommodate smaller student numbers.

Board member Mary Jane Roberts objected to the idea of switching the middle school’s usage.

“I have a problem with moving the middle school,” Roberts said. “A lot of work and staff time went into designing the middle school and the building was made to do those things.”

Charlie Jahnigan, of the SHP design firm, explained that state guidelines designate certain square-foot sizes for various level buildings and reimbursements will not be made for more than those allotted sizes but demolishing parts of classroom wings and closing them up again is expensive.

Carl Frederick, speaking from the audience, asked if a new building had to be designed fresh or if an already-existing design could be used to save architect costs. Jahnigan replied that they have done that, but some alterations are always required. He said, for example, the Bogan design could be used but portions would need to be adjusted to account for entry of utility lines onto the site.

Another audience member, Mike Schnipper, noted the presentation did not include cost estimates for converting the old high school into an elementary.

Cost estimates are based on a cost per square foot and Monday’s presentation included those estimates for building Kramer for 450, 475 and 500 students with the costs rising from $13 million to $13.6 million and then $14.2 million. Those steps increase the estimated annual debt service payments from $830,000 to $860,000 to $890,000 per year, respectively.

That difference raised questions about redistricting attendance boundaries to move more students into Bogan and Marshall and allowing for more balanced school populations. The topic has been argued in the past, but will likely be part of the upcoming discussions about the vision for a new Kramer and its cost.

Roberts made the motion to go forward with the paperwork for COPs funding and board vice president Mike Crowder gave a second. The vote was 5-0 in favor.