All sides are saying the same thing: Let's try this again. City voters were asked last week to approve a levy that would have paid for three new schools.

While more than 70 percent of the project would have come from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission, Ironton residents had to agree to shoulder the bill for the rest of the cost, $18 million. That levy would have paid for all new facilities.

While some voters balked at yet another tax, others were hesitant to see the end of Ironton High School. The levy failed by less than 200 votes.

The Ironton City Schools Board of Education has scheduled a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday to address the issue of the proposed school bond levy.

The meeting will allow for public input - and that includes input from the Save Our Schools committee that opposed last week's ballot issue.

The meeting is means of gauging the public's mood and finding out what the next step should be.

&#8220The purpose is to seek public input concerning the future of an Ironton City Schools facilities project with input on construction or renovation,” Ironton City Schools Superintendent Dean Nance said.

&#8220We're looking and brainstorming different ideas, obviously all possibilities have their positives and negatives. Hopefully some of those ideas can be expressed that night. The board can take input and look into the ones that are worth looking into.”

The meeting will begin with five-minute introductions from both SOS and the Citizens for Ironton City Schools committee.

&#8220Each side adamantly believes what they're doing is in the best interest of our community's children,” SOS organizer Mark McCown said. &#8220What we need to do at this point is to come together and try to find a way to meet each side's goal.”

Representatives from the architectural team of Fanning-Howey and Shawn Walker and Associates and school board members will also attend.

The first half of the meeting will be a question and answer session. A microphone will be passed through the audience and those who wish to ask a question may raise their hand. The second half of the meeting will be a comment period. Comments will be limited to two minutes.

&#8220You need to be there,” McCown said. &#8220The school board is asking for your input and you will have the opportunity to give input at that meeting. If

you can't attend you may send written comments.

Ultimately the board must act on behalf of this community and to do that it needs your input.

Those who can not attend the meeting but want to make comments have until Friday to do so. Those comments may be sent to Nance at 105 S. Fifth St., Ironton, Ohio, 45638.

School board President Robert Pleasant Jr. said the city has the opportunity to get state funding to improve its school facilities, an opportunity that does not come this way very often. It is important that city residents seize that opportunity.

&#8220This (state funding) is too important for the community to lose,” Pleasant said. &#8220This is not about a particular building, it's about what's best for our kids.”

Staff reporter Teresa Moore can be reached at (740) 532-1445 ext. 25 or by e-mail at teresa.moore@irontontribune.com.