The Board of Education for Lakota Local Schools voted 4-1 last Monday to proceed with placing a bond issue on the November ballot to help fund the district's proposed new redesign.
The bond issue would raise over $506 million from local taxpayers for the project. The school system estimates a total cost of around $655 million. Lakota would be reimbursed about a third of that from Ohio's Expedited Local Partnership Program.
Lakota school leaders have considered the district-wide redesign for years in response to the school's growing student body. Lakota's enrollment has been climbing for decades, and the district has become one of the largest school systems in the state, with an enrollment of more than 17,000 students.
Superintendent Ashley Whitely says while the price tag is high, the new plan will end up saving Lakota money in the long run by cutting down on operating expenses and preparing the district for further growth.
"We're building for our future," Whitely said to the media Wednesday. "We need buildings that can flex and morph to meet the accommodations and needs of our students."
The new facilities plan would decommission and eventually demolish four Lakota early childhood school buildings, three elementary buildings, two junior high schools, and the building shared by Lakota Central High School and the district's West Freshman campus.
Four newly constructed elementary school buildings would replace the decommissioned buildings for younger students, and Lakota's East and West high schools would be renovated and expanded to absorb more students from other buildings.
To go along with the new construction, the school district also will adjust its grade bands. Instead of having early childhood schools for K-2nd grade and elementary schools for 3rd-6th grades, Lakota would combine K-5th grades in its elementary schools, then move 6th graders to its junior high schools.
Lakota also would move 9th graders from its freshman campuses to Lakota East and West High Schools. Both high schools would be renovated and expanded.
Whitely says all these changes would be better for both students and staff.
"We just physically don't have more room," the superintendent said. "New facilities would allow us to have additional space, which would allow for smaller class sizes and more one-on-one interactions with our student and staff ratio."
If approved by voters this fall, Lakota Schools says it would immediately begin the design phase and start construction in 2026 or 2027. Renovations to existing buildings would be complete by 2028, and the new elementary schools would open for the start of the 2029 school year. The older decommissioned buildings would be demolished after the transition is complete in 2030.
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