City meets with neighbors to discuss potential student growth
HUDSON - City officials recently met with leaders of neighboring- communities to solicit input and express concerns about how area growth may contribute to an increasing enrollment in the Hudson City Schools.
Council members Brian Daley and Dan Williams met Oct. 27 with representatives from Stow, Cuyahoga Falls, Twinsburg Township, Boston Heights and Boston Township. City Manager Doug Elliott served as chairman of the meeting.
One issue discussed was the 244-unit housing development in Cuyahoga Falls planned for about 69 acres in the former Tamsin Park.
The property is located off Akron Cleveland Road in land that used to be part of Boston Township. The land was annexed to Cuyahoga Falls earlier this year.
The large development, which would be called Hidden Lake, is significant for Hudson because children living there would attend Hudson City Schools, given that the area falls under the school district's jurisdiction.
At Wednesday evening's Council meeting, Daley said the proposed development is a real concern because citizens of Hudson would have to bear the burden for those additional students, either in the form of additional taxes or the dilution of school services.
"According to the Hudson school treasurer, this would place an additional financial burden on the Hudson schools in the range of $250,000 to $750,000 per year, and that assumes only an increment of .8 children per household," Daley said.
Williams called the meeting "productive and positive." But he also expressed concerns about the financial burden on the city's schools to accommodate the additional students.
He said the safety of those children is another issue to consider.
"There is concern for the children's long rides on those buses," Williams said.
He said there was no discussion of petitioning the state to redraw school boundary lines.
Months ago, Council discussed the difficulty in getting school boundaries redrawn when it approved the 2004 comprehensive plan.
Council has no authority to change the school boundaries. The transfer of school territory can only be initiated by the Ohio Board of Education, by the district Board of Education or by voter petition, Council members said.
State-initiated transfers must be voted upon at a primary or general election.
The comprehensive plan addresses the issue as follows: "The city should work with the school district and relevant political jurisdictions to address the impact of school enrollment growth."
The Hudson Board of Education had requested Cuyahoga Falls set aside land for school use or the monetary equivalent of property to offset the impact on the school system, but the request was rejected by both the Cuyahoga Falls planning commission and their council.
Hudson City Communications Manager Jody Roberts said the recent meeting was an attempt to foster a stronger relationship with neighboring communities, but was not designed to develop specific action steps.
"It was the first of what we hope to be a continuing dialogue between these communities on these issues," Roberts said.
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