Without actual costs for a project, Sarandrea guessed homeowners might see their tax bills go up $150 to $175 or more per year to support about 9 mills of taxes that would go toward the project.

Some in the audience supported the idea of a new school.

Christopher Bobby said he teaches at a new complex in Leavittsburg, Ohio, and that a new building makes a great deal of difference for students. He said the improvement can’t be explained in a slide show or in dollar amounts and that a new school would draw people to the city.

Kim Hacker said she has four children who attend Case and she is also a teacher there.

’I think it’s dangerous to keep them where they are,’ she said of the building’s condition.

Ms. Hacker said classrooms have been closed due to flooding and items have been destroyed by leaks.

John Foltz again brought up the idea of consolidation.

Sarandrea said he’s discussed it with Sharon directors and with other district officials, but there’s been no official approach to neighboring districts.

For more than a decade school officials have been talking about doing something with Case and in the past few years options have been tossed around with pricetags ranging up to more than $30 million.

A study by Eckles Architecture, New Castle, last spring showed buying the Hadley building and adding on to it would be the cheapest option at $18.6 million. The architects found the most expensive step would be to renovate the existing Case building.

Tearing down case would cost about $700,000, reports have shown.

Officials have said building one big elementary school near the high school and closing C.M. Musser and West Hill schools is not an option because the district still owes on the bonds for renovations there for another 10 years. If the buildings were closed, the state would no longer help pay for them.

Sarandrea said the Case project has been fast-tracked so that the school could possibly get some federal stimulus money, including a no-interest Qualified School Construction Bond.

More meetings will be held in future weeks to talk about the options the district has considered and dismissed leading up to the board’s decision about the project.

The board could make a decision about the purchase before another public hearing is held, Sarandrea said.