District Facilities

By Julie F. Bissinger

In early 2013, the Board voted to place a bond issue on the May ballot, accepting the 2012 Facilities Committee recommendation. Critical needs identified by the committee were safety and security, accessibility and optimized education environments. Committee assumptions included no change in building configurations (two high schools, one middle school and six elementary schools), maintaining neighborhood schools with no change of grade level configuration, and no change in student enrollment in the foreseeable future.

I voted against the 2012 plan. Although pleased that the Board was finally addressing facilities, having served on the previous committees, I believed the plan fell short and the Board's consideration was incomplete. Essentially the plan primarily called for building a new Wilson Elementary (upon which everyone agrees), adding air conditioning to our three un-air conditioned schools (Maddux Elementary, Summit Elementary, Anderson High School), enhancing safety and accessibility, and addressing routine maintenance items. The plan ignored the independent 2005 Ohio Schools Facilities Commission (OSFC) Report of our facilities, including the district's more comprehensive and long term needs. A solid facilities plan should "maintain and enhance academic delivery of the district's academic mission, upgrade the district's facilities, and deliver a more cost effective school district to and for our communities." (Facilities Committee 2010).

Following the unsuccessful May bond initiative, the School Board engaged the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) (the successor to the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission) to provide a current objective evaluation of our facilities at no cost to the district. The OFCC is responsible for guiding capital projects for state agencies, state-sponsored universities and community colleges, and Ohio's comprehensive public K-12 school construction and renovation program. The OFCC will provide Forest Hills with exhaustive facilities and demographic data to use as tools as we have future discussions about facilities construction/renovation. The OFCC is currently in our schools doing its work. Its final report is expected late 2013/early 2014. The OFCC study will provide recommendations- all, some or none of which the Board may accept and act upon.

It is incumbent upon the School Board to move forward with a well researched, discussed and vetted facilities plan. In that process, it is imperative that we educate our community about our facilities needs, and actively encourage and involve community input. Unfortunately, some people view the entire array of complex, multifaceted facilities issues faced by our district as a single question, one versus two high schools. If the School Board permits the issues to be defined so narrowly, it will prohibit any meaningful, thoughtful discussion to get us where we need to be as a total and diverse district.

I look forward to receipt of the OFCC report and hope to continue in the district's efforts in facilities enhancements/replacements to keep Forest Hills as a destination school district where, regardless of whether or not you have children attending our schools, you want to live and work. Our community expects and deserves no less from its elected School Board members as they plan for the future of our district.