Get involved and share your thoughts on the facilities master planning draft options!

Your voice matters in facilities master planning! Since the fall, hundreds of students, staff members, parents/guardians and community members have lent their voices to phase two of the facilities master planning process for the aging middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School. 

“Our school facilities are a cornerstone of the Upper Arlington community, and we are so grateful for those who have come alongside us so far in this process to help shape the future of our schools,” said Superintendent Robert Hunt, Ph.D. “If you haven’t gotten involved in the process, we need to hear from you. Your perspective is critical as we determine the best path forward for our schools.”

What’s Happened in the Assessments Phase

In the fall of 2024, Upper Arlington Schools kicked off phase two of facilities master planning, focused on the schools that were not touched in phase one — the aging middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School. In the first part of the process, the Assessments Phase, the district has:

• Formed building teams of approximately 100 community and staff volunteers to dive deeply into the physical and educational challenges of each building and explore possible solutions.
• Invited the community to learn more and share their thoughts through two rounds of community engagement sessions in the final months of 2024.
• Commissioned a new round of professional facility assessments, updating the work done in 2015, to inform cost estimates for maintaining and repairing the buildings, as well as the development of additional options that would tackle both the physical and educational needs of the buildings.

Based on the results of the physical assessments, the estimated cost to maintain and repair the three buildings is $103.7 million. High demand in the central Ohio market has led to a steep increase in construction costs in recent years. Several large-scale projects such as Intel, Google and Honda are contributing to shortages for labor and supplies.

What’s Next in the Options Phase

The master planning process is now in the Options Phase. The community and staff volunteers on the building teams have worked together to explore possible solutions that will be brought forward to the community in February at the third round of community engagement sessions. The draft options will range from repairing and maintaining (addressing the physical needs of the buildings) to renovating or rebuilding (addressing the physical and educational needs). 

Mark your calendars to join us!

Community Engagement Session #3 — Draft Planning Options

• February 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Upper Arlington High School Amelita Mirolo Black Box Theater, 1625 Zollinger Road
• February 19 at 9:00 a.m. at the Graf Center, 2020 Builders Place

Community members who are unable to attend the meeting will be able to provide their feedback on the initial options through an online survey that will be available at www.uaschools.org/facilities following the meetings. The survey will be open through Sunday, March 9. This feedback will be used to revise the initial planning options and potentially investigate additional options.

Later in the spring, the community will have multiple opportunities to share their thoughts on the revised planning options and their estimated costs at the fourth round of community engagement sessions in May. 

• Monday, May 12 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Upper Arlington High School Amelita Mirolo Black Box Theater, 1625 Zollinger Road
• Tuesday, May 13 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the Graf Center, 2020 Builders Place

An online community survey will also follow this round of meetings.

“As we move forward, I encourage all community members to engage with this process,” Dr. Hunt added. “Attend meetings, ask questions and share your feedback. No decisions have been made, and this is your chance to play an active role in shaping the future of our schools.”

How to Learn More

For information on how to get involved, and to review all of the feedback gathered so far in the process, please visit www.uaschools.org/facillities.