Dramatic changes are happening on the campuses of Cincinnati Public Schools, as the district enters year six of its massive, 10-year rebuilding plan.
The $1-billion Facilities Master Plan, initially approved in May 2002, replaces inadequate, deteriorating learning spaces with first-class school buildings. It also represents, so far, an investment of $390 million in the district's neighborhoods.
At the end of the plan, every CPS student will be educated inside new or fully renovated buildings that are attractive, efficient and technology-ready for the 21st century.
These exciting state-of-the-art buildings offer fresh takes on school architecture.
Features include abundant natural light, technology-ready classrooms designed around educational best practices, efficient heating and cooling systems, and welcoming common areas designed for student and community use.
Offices in the new schools are located close to main entrances and designed to be welcoming places for visitors.
CPS is creating modern, comfortable learning spaces, each with its own design but all giving students equal amenities.
All elementary schools are designed with four enclosed classrooms clustered around open spaces called Extended Learning Areas (ELAs).
Extended Learning Areas allow teachers the flexibility to use the space for such things as tutoring and small-group work.
All elementary buildings also feature rooms designed for art, music and science; equipped computer labs; full-sized gymnasiums; cafeterias with performance stages; and large classrooms with sinks and counter space.
Groundbreakings and grand openings are filling the calendar as numerous projects start up while newly finished buildings open to students. Demolitions also are happening on many sites as old buildings come down to make room for the new.
The first new school building, the new Rockdale Academy in Avondale, opened in January 2005 to students in preschool through eighth grade. As of November 2008, 25 construction projects had been completed:
In addition, 7 athletic facilies — stadiums, gymnasiums, playing fields and running tracks — have been completed.
Another 26 projects are under way or in design. Within the next 12 months, about a dozen projects will start the construction bid process.
“The next wave is coming — and it’s a big wave,” said CPS’ Facilities Director Mike Burson. “We passed the midpoint, and we’re fine tuning our design systems and taking advantage of lessons learned along the way.”
One of those lessons is using bulk purchasing to buy furniture and other major equipment. The timing on six recently opened buildings allowed the district to save $12 million. This savings will be used to offset cost increases in other areas of the FMP. Projects under way now and in the future will benefit even more from bulk purchasing used across all areas, Burson said.
The Facilities Master Plan was developed jointly by CPS and the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC), the state agency directing a statewide campaign to upgrade all Ohio school buildings. The state is contributing about 23 percent of CPS' eligible cost. Much of the remaining cost is funded by a $480-million school-construction bond issue approved by voters in May 2003, plus money from other local and state sources.
A vital component of the Facilities Master Plan is the goal of building enough quality classrooms to serve all CPS students without creating costly extra space. The plan was designed as a flexible document in terms of the final building count, with enrollment projections playing a key role in determining the number of schools CPS will operate by the plan's finish.
It is CPS' goal while rebuilding and renovating its buildings to create schools that are Community Learning Centers. The community is invited to help design each facility to incorporate partnerships with numerous businesses, the arts community and social service agencies to provide services to students and adults during the school day and beyond.
Bond Hill's principal summed up the process, "We’re excited, and the community’s excited — it’s nice to have a place to call home again. Our new building shows respect for the past as we look toward the future."