Community Forum to Update the Sandusky Community “Building Better Dreams” The Educational & Facilities Plan for 21 st Century Learning Mr. Smith’s Coffee House September 20, :00 am

PURPOSE: The purpose of our meeting today is to update the parents, grandparents, and citizens of Sandusky about the recommendation to build two state of the art elementary school facilities and upgrades to science, physics, chemistry, and technology labs at Sandusky High School.

GOALS FOR THE COMMUNITY FORUMS: 1.Provide a timeline of activities over the last two years that has resulted in the facilities recommendation. 2. Communicate that the facilities recommendation is based on the district's academic goals, called The Transformation Plan. 3.Communicate all of the significant aspects of the facilities plan, including the rationale, vision, logic, configuration, location, and historic nature of this facilities opportunity and our partnership with Ohio School Facilities Commission. 4.Provide comprehensive details on all cost factors associated with the facilities plan. 5.Continue our commitment to transparency and open dialogue on all issues associated with the facilities plan and to post all comments and questions on our website for observation and review by all members of the community.

Dr. Eugene Sanders with the Campaign Leadership Team and the Sandusky Board of Education Members

THE TRANSFORMATION PLAN TIMELINE AND THE RECOMMENDATION FOR SCHOOL FACILITIES Started initial Transformation Plan discussions in the spring semester of 2013 Held over 40 community and small group meetings seeking feedback and vetting the key elements of the Transformation Plan Utilized a 35 member Transformation Plan Committee to make academic and organizational recommendations that resulted in the Transformation Plan Official rollout of the Transformation Plan in March 2014 Academic Year is the first year implementation of the Transformation Plan Developed 12 Pillars of the Transformation Plan, of which School Facilities is the final pillar

THE TRANSFORMATION PLAN TIMELINE AND THE RECOMMENDATION FOR SCHOOL FACILITIES Board of Education reviewed and vetted all facilities recommendations and voted unanimously to officially place the recommendation on the ballot for November 4, Campaign leadership is organized to present strong arguments to the community to maximize this historic opportunity to build state of the art buildings for decades to come for the children of the Sandusky City Schools.

THE FACILITIES PLAN Build state of the art Elementary Schools: PreK-2 on the former Hancock Elementary School site Grades 3-6 on the current Ontario Elementary School site Invest $2.1 million in early childhood development by including a citywide emphasis on Preschool. Invest $4.4 million in STEAM : S :Science Labs for Biology, Chemistry and Physics T :Technology Labs for Video Distance Learning for Global Experience, College and Career Readiness Opportunities E :Engineering Fabrication Lab A :Arts Academy M :Mathematics Collaboration Space

THE FACILITIES PLAN Connect our instructional framework of Project-Based Learning and 21st Century Skills of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication We will retain: Adams Building for online and alternative education for the Sandusky Digital Academy Jackson Building (selective demo) will utilize gymnasium and pool for student and community use Mills Elementary will be repurposed into Adult and Career Options Venice Heights Elementary will be repurposed into the Regional Center for Advanced Academic Studies (RCAAS) Osborne Elementary School we will partner with community groups for effective community use

Total Cost: $57,713,289 Ohio School Facilities Commission Co-Fund: 54% Sandusky Residents will fund: 46% Locally funded initiative $6.5 million ($2.1 million for Preschool & $4.4 million for science labs at SHS) Total millage: 3.98 mills A home in Sandusky valued at: $100,000 would equate to $0.38 a day New Construction of Two Grade Level Specific Elementary Buildings/Abatement and Demo PK-2 Elementary26,833, Elementary21,171, Abatement/Demo3,209, Total51,213, PALFI*6,500, Co-Funded Project51,213, State Share27,655, Local Share & PALFI30,058, Millage3.98 *PALFI: Project Agreement Locally Funded Initiative

STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES REGARDING THE FACILITIES PLAN RATIONALE: The school facilities plan is based on the core foundation of our academic plan and the need to provide 21 st Century facilities to meet the needs of our students and also meet and exceed global competitive expectations. VISION: Our vision is to provide facilities for this new generation of learners. We believe that it is our turn to create a new vision for students and families in Sandusky, Ohio. Merging our academic vision with our facilities plan will usher in a new era of teaching and learning in the Sandusky City Schools. CONFIGURATION: Aligning our elementary grades in Preschool–2 and grades 3-6 will allow us to build on teacher professional development by teachers of similar grades in the district being together, reducing expenses, building cohesive practices, and increasing accountability of all employees.

STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES REGARDING THE FACILITIES PLAN LOCATION OF FACILITIES: School officials reviewed the benefits of building on property we own next to the high school on Hayes Avenue and also building within the neighborhoods. The ultimate decision was to embed our elementary buildings within the neighborhoods. Current enrollment and school assignments have students attending schools throughout the district. Our decision will preserve neighborhood values and provide a setting conducive to youth development OHIO SCHOOL FACILITIES COMMISSION: Sandusky City Schools will partner with the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC), who will provide 54% of the cost of this project. This equates to approximately $27 million dollars of the project. The OSFC Construction Manual provides comprehensive details of the rules and procedures associated with building projects throughout the state.

STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES REGARDING THE FACILITIES PLAN COST: The total cost of the building project is $57.7 million dollars. This is a “shared cost” project, meaning OSFC and Sandusky City Schools are partnering for this building initiative. If successful in November, the facilities will be financed through purchasing bonds. The arrangements are similar to a mortgage that is paid over a number of years. PROJECT ALLOCATION LOCAL FUNDED INITIATIVE (PALFI): There are certain components of the construction building plans that OSFC will not cover. Local residents are responsible for those uncovered costs. For our plan, local residents are committed to preschool education and science labs at the high school that meet our global perspectives curriculum and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)

STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES REGARDING THE FACILITIES PLAN LOGISTICS DURING THE BUILDING PROGRAM: The ideal plan is to allow students to remain in their elementary buildings while the new facilities are being built. The embedded sites will allow for students to transition from the former buildings to the new facility. The district has available building space to house transitional facilities requirements if needed. Additionally, the Senior Leadership Team has the experience of building over 60 new buildings over the last ten years and will be able to provide fiscal guidance and oversight of quality construction of the new facilities IMMEDIATE AND LONG TERM USE OF THE FORMER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL SITE: The old Memorial Hospital site will be kept for re-development as a softball field and for other academic/athletic/community needs as our future planning moves forward.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Question 1: The initial location for the new facilities was the former Memorial Hospital site next to the Sandusky High School. Why was this plan changed? The Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Education consulted with parents and community leaders about the initial recommendation for the new schools. After listening to feedback, the decision was made to embed the schools within existing neighborhoods. While we no longer have neighborhood schools in the traditional sense (as students attend schools from various neighborhoods throughout the city), we want to support the notion of “schools in our neighborhoods.” Question 2: What exactly is the plan for new school facilities for Sandusky City Schools? The recommendation is to build two state of the art elementary buildings. The plan is to build one Preschool-2 building at the former Hancock Elementary Site and one building for grades 3-6 at the former Ontario Elementary school site. Additionally, there are funds set aside to build new science, chemistry, and physics labs at Sandusky High School, in order to meet our Transformation Plan goals for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Question 3: Will Sandusky taxpayers pay for the entire amount of this project? No. The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) will share the cost of these new facilities. The cost-sharing ratio is 54% of the cost to be paid for by OSFC and 46% will be paid for by the residents of Sandusky.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Question 4: How much will it cost the average homeowner in Sandusky to build these schools and make the changes at Sandusky High School? A home in Sandusky valued at $100,000 will cost the taxpayer approximately 38 cents a day for this project. Question 5: What is our plan for the current buildings in the District if this plan is successful? We will retain Venice Heights Elementary School and likely transform it into the Regional Center for Advanced Academic Studies (RCAAS). Our plan for Mills Elementary is to use the facility for adult or alternative programming. We will retain the Adams Building for the Sandusky Digital Academy and partner with community groups for effective use of the Osborne Elementary Site. We will retain the Jackson Building for logistical and transition space. Question 6: Why aren’t we making more significant changes to Sandusky High School in this plan? We would love to make changes to the high school. The reality is we simply cannot afford to do so at this time. The High School is in critical need of some significant infrastructure upgrades, but our cost analysis suggests it would be over $73.5 million dollars to do all of the upgrades we would need to do. We will need to come back and address the High School at some point in time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Question 7: The Sandusky Middle School was originally planned to be built on the Memorial Hospital site. What happened to that plan and what are the plans for the vacant property next to Sandusky High School? While the enrollment has increased for two consecutive years in the Sandusky City Schools, we have lost enrollment for the previous ten years. As a result, the enrollment in the middle and high school grades (7 th – 12 th ) had declined to the point where it was economically prudent to house the middle school population at the high school, where there is sufficient room. Our current plans are to maintain the middle school students at the high school. Question 8: What are the academic advantages of the building plan? There are several academic advantages of the building plan. They are: A.Consolidating our elementary staff to focus on core foundational academic practices in one unit that will strengthen our elementary academic programs. B. Utilizing Project-Based Learning in an environment with strong professional development which will benefit the academic program by grades being configured together. C.Build on our current exemplary ratings for high performing pre-school education. D.Science and Technology labs to support the instructional emphasis on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). E.The building configuration will assist in our efforts to ensure that our students can compete in a 21 st Century global learning environment.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Question 9: Did the findings of the Transformation Plan recommend new facilities? Yes, it was very clear that our current buildings do not meet 21 st Century learning criteria, especially as it relates to global competitiveness. Dozens of community meetings and Transformation Plan Committee meetings focused on the need to ensure that our students are able to compete and new school facilities will greatly assist in that effort. Question 10: How long will it take to build these new structures? If the bond issue passes on November 4, 2014, we will immediately begin a community engagement design process, which will include parents and citizens who will meet with architects to craft the design of our new buildings. This process will take between nine – twelve months to complete. We will be able to break ground by Fall It will likely take about two years to build the two schools. We could potentially open our new facilities in the fall of Question 11: Our school buildings look good and have been very well taken care of over the years. Why do we need new facilities? Our custodial and maintenance staff have done a very good job over the years of taking care of our school buildings. However, the internal infrastructure is in need of repair. The assessment completed by the Ohio School Facilities Commission has indicated it will cost us more to try to remodel and repair than to build new facilities. If we are fortunate enough to build new facilities, we will make sure that the new buildings are well taken care of and will serve us for many decades to come.

KEY POINTS FOR THE “BUILDING BETTER DREAMS” CAMPAIGN 1.The Bond Issue fulfills the commitment we made with the Transformation Plan and allows us the unprecedented opportunity to build better dreams for our students both now and for decades to come. 2.Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) is covering 54% of the cost of the project and provides a historic opportunity to share cost. The State of Ohio will contribute over $27 million dollars to our “Building Better Dreams” Plan. 3.The cost to the average homeowner for this building plan is approximately 38 cents a day. 4.Aligning our grade configuration into two buildings district wide will allow teachers to build on each others strengths and increase academic and instructional accountability. 5.The new facilities plan will connect our instructional framework of Project Based Learning and 21 st Century Skills : Critical Thinking Creativity Collaboration Communication

KEY POINTS FOR THE “BUILDING BETTER DREAMS” CAMPAIGN 6.Schools embedded within neighborhoods will strengthen the core of our home values and the city for decades to come. We will have schools in our neighborhood and not necessarily neighborhood schools. 7.Sandusky City Schools has the only 5-star (highest state rating) of any pre-school program in Erie County. The Bond Issue will invest $2.1 million dollars in Early Childhood academic development. 8.The Bond Issue will invest $4.4 million dollars in Science and Technology labs at SHS and this investment will make us a leader in the region and the state for both students and adult educational opportunity. Science Labs for Biology, Chemistry and Physics Technology Labs for Video Distance Learning for Global Experience College and Career Readiness for Every Student Creation of a Fine Arts Academy Mathematics Collaboration Space 9.A maintenance component is tied to the Bond Issue so our buildings will be maintained for decades.

KEY POINTS FOR THE “BUILDING BETTER DREAMS” CAMPAIGN 10.The Board of Education have been strong fiscal leaders over the last decade and has made responsible and visionary decisions about the financial well being of the schools. 11.Bond Issue will allow us to continue our recent positive trend of increased enrollment. 12.Will continue the pride, tradition, and excellence of the Sandusky City Schools 13.New buildings will reflect 21 st Century learning opportunities for our students. 14. Provides hope, vision, and belief in our kids and community; says we care about the future. 15.Provide state of the art safety features for students, faculty, and staff.

Questions and Open Discussion

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