Since the days before COVID-19, the Lakota School District has been inching closer to redesigning the district in ways not seen before. This plan, entitled the Master Facilities Plan, would reshape the grade bands, introduce two new high schools, and add multiple elementary schools to the district. Today, the district has settled on expanding the current high schools, demolishing some older buildings, and reshaping our grade band to make the Lakota experience even more life-changing. We’re taking a look at what the Master Facilities Plan is in its current state, and how soon we can expect to see these 500-million-dollar changes begin development.
In November of 2024, the board assembled to discuss which buildings should be demolished and renovated, and possible timelines for their work. 10 buildings were recommended by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), with three additional buildings being on the border between renovations and being demolished. These 13 buildings are:
Future K-5 buildings: Creekside/West Freshman, Hopewell, Adena, Shawnee, Heritage, Woodland, Freedom
Future 6-8 buildings: Hopewell Jr., Liberty Jr., West Freshman/Creekside
Buildings bordering demolition and renovations: Cherokee, Independence, Ridge Jr.
As of today’s publication, the plan’s cost is $594,012,360. The four additional elementary schools would cost an estimated $38,759,487 each.
Plains Jr. and East Freshman would become the new middle schools with renovations and added classrooms. Both the East and West High Schools would see major additions and renovations to accommodate the added incoming freshman classes. The renovations and add-ons for the high schools would total around $66,400,000 each.
The four new elementary schools, according to the OFCC, must be at least 108,038 square feet with an estimated 988 students at each building. The newly-renovated middle schools would have between 2,100 to 2,300 students, with each high school having an estimated 3,078 students in attendance. The total amount of students within the district, however, isn’t expected to have any massive changes: Currently, there are roughly 18,991 students enrolled in Lakota Local Schools. The estimates for these district-wide changes show roughly 19,074 students, less than 100 more than we see today. These numbers, of course, are just made based on the previous year’s exponential growth. By the 2028-2029 school year, there will be an expected 18,851 students, and 19,074 by the 2033-2034 school year.
The vote for these changes will be coming in the 2025 November election, with community members deciding if their taxpayer dollars will contribute to the five hundred million dollar project.
During their December 4th meeting, they also discussed possible renovations that could be made to the current high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. These proposed ideas are expansive and would add dozens of classrooms to each building: For Lakota West HS, they would see new classrooms, open-air collaboration rooms, 10 more locker bays, two additional halls (one out the back of the building, and other along the side of the building alongside West Chester Rd. Multiple new outdoor learning spaces, enclosed in the building like the current nature courtyards, would also be added. 347 additional parking lot spaces would be built in the large trench in front of the current high school, meaning that area would be filled in and cut in half to allow for cars to go from one side to the other. These additional parking spaces would be due to the back parking spaces and many parking spots on the side of the building being destroyed; Lakota East High School would see no new parking spots, as the new additions would simply expand out onto the pre-existing hill the school sits on top of. A newer map from their December 18th meeting also shows reprogramming certain areas in the back of the building to better accommodate the growing arts program Lakota has seen in recent years.
Each of the high schools could also expect to see a new soccer field, replacing their current practice fields that are in notably poor condition. The existing baseball fields, tennis courts, and football field would remain the same.
Lakota East Freshman and Plains Jr. High would also see massive changes, such as the entire front entrance of East Freshman becoming unrecognizable, and Plains Jr. gaining a brand new theatre. Outdoor learning areas would be added to both buildings, as well as massive parking lot additions.
Different timelines have also been discussed as to when these installations will see construction. The soonest plan would be to have East and West Main Campuses get new rooms during the 2026-2027 school year, with the East Freshman and West Freshman students transitioning to the main campus as soon as they are done. The Plains Jr. and East Freshman students would then be transferred to those buildings while construction was happening at their respective buildings, most likely because the front landscaping of both buildings would become unrecognizable from the construction. In the 2030-2031 school year, the grade band configuration would change for the full district, and construction in two of the four new elementary schools would start. Two years later, the other two buildings would be built. West Freshman would be destroyed as soon as the grade-band configuration changes, followed by Shawnee and Creekside being removed a few years later. During the final year of the MFP in the 2034-2035 school year, every unused elementary school would be closed, demolished, and either repurposed for the new schools or sold to surrounding businesses.
Below you can also find a variety of maps the district has put together to show where these new elementary schools would be built, depending on the currently-owned lots they might choose. No selections have been finalized yet.
During their February 4th meeting, a particularly interesting idea was passed through the board: Revamping bussing for 10th-12th graders once the freshman transfer to main campus. The cost, which is based on current enrollment and options, would cost nearly 26 million dollars and run 226 total routes, enough to carry over 11,000 students. Adding 10-12th graders would be an additional 30 routes, with an additional 3 million dollars paid. Although the state would contribute 40% of the payment, this is still a hefty load to add on, and no decisions have been made. Instead, the idea could be revisited sometime in the future.
As of their latest meeting on February 18th, the Board of Education has put in a request for professional design services to look at the Master Facilities Plan and see how feasible it is to complete. They would analyze the construction, including adding onto previously existing buildings, as well as building four new elementary schools in pre-existing Lakota-owned lots. Renovations are estimated to be 150 million dollars, with new construction being estimated at 140 million dollars.
Although lots of plans currently exist, with numerous different options being presented to the board, very few decisions have been set in stone. Over the next few months, decisions will have to be made before being presented to voters this coming November. Should the vote fail, major changes would have to be made, with the MFP possibly being redesigned to an unrecognizable degree. Should the vote pass, the Lakota District could see things get reshaped for the better. Less schools overall would mean more students per school, as well as less maintenance for the overall district. Students could look forward to a more connected experience, larger atmosphere, and more logical structure to their Junior High and High School experience. The people’s decision this November will have a strong influence in whether or not Lakota can continue shaping the future of the district, or the voters will shut out the Master Facilities Plan.
