FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2026
Contact:
Grant Career Center Board Votes to Place Facilities Issue on November Ballot
State of Ohio covers 58% of the $59 million renovation and addition - the largest state investment in the campus since it opened in 1973
BETHEL, Ohio. The Grant Career Center Board of Education voted to place a combined 1.99-mill facilities issue on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. The issue pairs a 1.15-mill, 37-year bond for renovation and addition with a 0.84-mill continuing permanent improvement levy required by the state to maintain the new facilities.
The State of Ohio pays 58% of the project: $34 million of the $59 million total, approved through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The bond covers the local share of $25 million. It is the first time Grant Career Center has asked voters for new funding since 2005.
The combined issue would cost property owners approximately $5.80 per month per $100,000 of home market value - about $70 per year.
Superintendent Michael Parry said the project is about where the jobs are.
"Advanced manufacturing, healthcare, welding, IT, construction - these are the sectors hiring in Clermont County right now, and they pay well. Our graduates walk into good-paying careers because they train on the same equipment employers use. This project builds the labs and classrooms that kind of training requires, so more of our students can step straight into the modern workforce."
Tim DuFau, president of the Grant Career Center Board of Education, said the state partnership makes November the right time to act.
"The state has committed $34 million to this project - 58 cents of every dollar. Local taxpayers fund $25 million and get a $59 million campus. Grant has run on the same operating levy voters approved more than 20 years ago, and we've stretched these 50-year-old buildings as far as maintenance can take them."
What the issue funds
· Renovation and addition to the Bethel campus, replacing classrooms and labs built for a school two-thirds its current size.
· Safety and accessibility upgrades: secure entry, modern fire protection and security systems, ADA compliance, and a second campus driveway.
· Replacement of 50-year-old HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and technology systems identified for replacement in the state facility assessment. Updated systems cut energy use and end the rising repair costs of equipment decades past its useful life - savings that stay in the classroom instead of going to emergency fixes.
· Expanded capacity in high-demand programs, from advanced manufacturing and welding to allied health and veterinary science.
· The 0.84-mill permanent improvement levy funds the ongoing maintenance the state requires as a condition of its $34 million investment.
A growing school with a strong record
Grant Career Center enrollment has grown from 317 full-time-equivalent students in 2016 to 598 this year, making it the fourth fastest-growing joint vocational school district in Ohio. The school posts a 100 percent graduation rate, a 97 percent industry credential rate, and consistent job placement for graduates with local employers.
Voter registration for the November 3, 2026 general election closes October 4, 2026. Early voting begins October 5, 2026. Voters can check registration and request an absentee ballot through the Clermont County Board of Elections at boe.clermontcountyohio.gov.
About Grant Career Center
Grant Career Center is the joint vocational school district serving eastern Clermont County from its campus in Bethel, established in 1973. It provides career-technical education and industry credentials to high school students from the Bethel-Tate, New Richmond, Williamsburg, and Felicity-Franklin districts, plus students from other regional districts, online schools, and homeschool families. Adult education is delivered through the Brown & Clermont Adult Career Campuses partnership. More at www.grantcareer.com.
Media Assets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpZPK1W4_wg
###