PARMA, Ohio (WJW) – It’s all about what could have been.

The Parma school levy would have created one new central high school.

The district could have combined two aging facilities and offered tons of new academic programs let alone possibly create one big athletic powerhouse.

But now Parma Senior High School will be turned into a field and Valley Forge and Normandy high schools will continue.

And even with some renovations, both buildings will also continue to age.

“Our buildings are functional, and I want to make sure that people understand that they’re safe but this is about long term about what we want to do.” 

Parma’s Superintendent Charles Smialek says the fourth loss for the construction levy also will mean the loss of about 72 million dollars in state funds earmarked for new school construction only.

The funding would only have gone to building a new facility and not for any renovations which are sorely needed at both high schools.

The superintendent says the administration, the school board, and the community will now have to conversations about how to move forward.

“Our permanent improvement levy is five point one million dollars a year that’s enough money to maintain our buildings but not enough money to improve them that’s just to keep them functional, and if we have to live with Normandy and Valley Forge for an extended period of time then we might have to do another bond issued to renovate them but the thing is there’s no state money,”  Smialek said.

Smialek says the consolidation plans will go forward with the closing of Parma Senior High.

Will they try a construction levy for a fifth time?

Right now, he says the schools have other issues ahead that must be addressed sooner than later.

“We haven’t had a new operations budget since 2011 at some point our five-year prospects are promising through 2026 but in 2027, we’re going to need some help and we have some real operating and other issues we need to look at,” Smialek said.