The Olmsted Falls City School District is actively involving its community in shaping its facilities master plan, aimed at addressing the future of school renovations and potential new construction. The Board of Education is expected to review findings from this initiative in March 2024.
To facilitate community engagement, the district’s facilities master planning committee, which comprises approximately 40 volunteer members and is chaired by the district’s Director of Business, Heath Krakowiak, recently hosted two public forums. These meetings included an event at the Falls-Lenox Primary School in late 2023 and a second forum at the Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center on January 13, 2024.
During the initial forum, participants were encouraged to provide feedback on their concerns and interests regarding the master plan. Many attendees expressed a desire to understand how the plan would influence them as homeowners, particularly since local property taxes fund the schools. This feedback prompted the committee to adjust the presentation for the second forum, incorporating more data about property taxes, which resulted in an increase in audience engagement.
“We ended up talking to people for about half an hour after the presentation was done,” Krakowiak noted. “We continue to learn from the community. We want that input, whether it be positive, negative, or just another viewpoint.”
The insights gathered from these forums will inform the development of the facilities master plan, which the committee aims to present to the Board of Education in March. A significant focus of this initiative is the district’s aging infrastructure, which includes facilities such as the transportation garage built in 1940, the Early Childhood Center constructed in 1957, and both the Falls-Lenox Primary School and Olmsted Falls High School, which were built in 1957 and 1967, respectively.
Krakowiak highlighted the importance of transparency in this process. “What surprised many was showing them the bones of the buildings and the infrastructure—the things that they don’t normally see, like the boiler rooms and the crawlspaces,” he explained. “When you see that there’s infrastructure original to buildings that were constructed in 1957, it’s like, wow. That was eye-opening to people.”
The discussions surrounding the facilities have underscored the need for significant investment. Krakowiak emphasized that whatever course of action is chosen will not be easy. “It’s up to the board to decide if they agree with the master planning committee, but our goal is to provide them a roadmap,” he said.
As the Olmsted Falls City School District moves forward with its facilities master plan, the community’s involvement remains pivotal in shaping the future of its educational environment. The upcoming presentation to the Board of Education will reflect the collective input and insights gathered from these forums, paving the way for informed decisions that impact local residents and students alike.
