Sandusky City Schools’ Transformation Sub-Committee

“The Future of School Facilities”

Briefing Document for Community Forum

Goals and Purpose of this Meeting

1. Goal: To brief the Sandusky community on the status of our school facilities and our partnership with the Ohio School Facilities Commission.

2. Goal: To receive feedback from our parents and citizens about school

facilities and document their interest, priorities, and respond to any questions.

Purpose

This meeting is part of a series of public meetings connected to the Sandusky City Schools’ Transformation Committee. This meeting is only one of several meetings that the Superintendent’s Leadership Team and Board of Education will have with the general community about whether to build, renovate, or update our school facilities to meet the academic and instructional demands for the future of our students and schools.

Why are we having this conversationabout school facilities at this time?

What is the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) and what does it have to do with our schools?

How will the OSFC work with our schools?

Are we required to work with OSFC or do we have other options?

What are the key questions we will ask to determine if we want to build new schools, renovate, or leave the

school facilities as they currently exist?

Answer:

The Transformation Plan will be released on March 2014 and

will lay out aggressive

instructional recommendations for

the future of our schools. We will ask parents and citizens if our school

facilities are sufficient to

meet the demands of

our instructional plan. Are we prepared for the future to

meet the global

academic demands

for our students to compete?

What Are Other Key Questions We Need to Ask About School Facilities for the Sandusky City Schools?

• Finances (how much will it cost?)• Configuration (how many schools

do we need?)• What happens to Sandusky High

School?• What about historical buildings?• Will parents and citizens have

input in the decisions?• What is the timeline for the Board

to make decisions about school facilities?

• How can I give my opinion about our schools and what we are doing?

• Cost-Sharing with OSFC as Historic

Option

• Our current cost share is 54/46

(OSFC picks up 54% and Sandusky

citizens would pick up 46%)

• How is this cost-sharing percentage

determined and how can it change?

• Is this similar to a home mortgage?

Financing School FacilitiesIn Our District

• How will we determine how many schools we will need based on our projected enrollment?

• What impact will the Pre-K-16 Model impact our facilities decisions?

• Is there one-campus proposal that will be considered?

• What are the budget implications of rebuilding new versus renovating a building?

School Configuration

• What are the implications for historic

school buildings in the district?

• Can we partner with other community

groups or agencies regarding the

potential use of buildings in the

district?

• Is there a role for Historical groups

and agencies in a potential building

program in the district?

Historic Buildings

• Locally Funded Initiative (LFI): This is any portion of a project that is solely funded by the district as an addition to the master plan. The OSFC will work with the district to integrate LFIs into the overall master plan but will not share the cost of the additional items.

• 2/3 Guideline: The guideline that sets the replace versus renovate standard for school facilities at two thirds of the cost of a new building.

• 350 Rule: A provision of the Ohio Revised Code requiring a minimum of 350 students in any building co-funded by the OSFC. The commission may grant waivers to this requirement under certain circumstances.

KEY TERMS FOR OUR FACILITIES CONVERSATION

• Cafetorium: A space that combines the eating and performance areas of a building. These spaces have flat floors.

• Maintenance Plan: A comprehensive plan for the long-term care and upkeep of every building in the school district. This is a requirement for all districts participating in OSFC programs.

• Ohio School Design Manual (OSDM): An extensive document that sets construction standards for all OSFC projects to ensure statewide equity and quality for school facilities.

KEY TERMS FOR OUR FACILITIES CONVERSATION

• Transformation Committee Pillars and Sub-Committee Meetings

• Community Forums

• Placards at Each School

• Suggestion Box at Each School

• 24 Hour Email and Phone Response

• Talk to Building Principals

• Email the CEO Directly

Parents and CitizensParticipation Opportunities

Board Passed Resolution to Initiate Relationship with OSFC

Additional Community Engagement and Stakeholder Investment Meetings

Decision Based on Outcome of Recommendations from the Transformation Plan

If Positive Feedback, Potential Resolution in June or July 2014

Ballot Initiatives as Early as November 2014

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Lots of Parent/Community Input

Timeline on School Facilities

We value your ideas…

ASKDRSANDERS@SCS-K12.NET