Master Planning FAQ

Why do we need a master plan for our buildings?

We need a long-term facilities master plan to address our remaining aging school buildings — Hastings Middle School, Jones Middle School and Burbank Early Childhood School — in an efficient, strategic manner instead of a more costly fix-it-as-it-breaks approach. The building systems — plumbing, electrical, mechanical — are simply nearing the end of useful life. Hastings, Jones and Burbank have been very well maintained, which has extended the life of the building systems beyond what is typically expected, according to third-party physical assessments conducted in the fall of 2024. 

Weren’t Hastings, Jones and Burbank addressed during the first phase of master planning?

In 2015, Upper Arlington Schools launched a facilities master planning process, looking at all nine of its aging school buildings at the time. That community-driven process resulted in a successful bond-levy in 2017 that built a new Upper Arlington High School and renovated or rebuilt all five elementary schools — all of which were completed on budget and on schedule. 

At the time, the decision was made to delay any work on Hastings and Jones middle schools and Burbank until a second phase of the process in approximately 10 years. While options were considered at that time for each of these buildings, no work was done to Hastings, Jones or Burbank as part of the bond-levy for the first phase of the master planning process. 

Why was work on these buildings delayed?

Back in 2015, the physical assessments showed that the most significant physical needs for Burbank, Hastings and Jones were approximately 10 years out. That is why the idea, at that time, was to relaunch the facilities master planning process in a decade to reassess those buildings’ needs and reopen the conversation with the community. 

Over the past 10 years, the district’s Operations and Maintenance team has continued to address maintenance needs as they arise to keep the buildings operational — for instance, finding parts to keep aging HVAC systems running. As expected, the building systems are now nearing the end of their useful life. 

Why is there no “zero-cost” option?

Because the building systems in these schools are reaching the end of life, we will have to spend a significant amount of money to keep our buildings safe, dry and secure. Based on the results of the physical assessments in the fall of 2024, it will cost approximately $124.8 million to maintain and repair all three schools to keep them safe, dry and secure for students and staff.

Where did the options come from?

The draft options were developed in collaboration with approximately 100 community and staff volunteers who dedicated many hours to serving as experts and committed stakeholders on their building team(s) of choice. These volunteers worked with the professional design team utilized by the district to create options for the buildings that fall into the categories of repair, renovate and rebuild. 

Based on stakeholder feedback, the draft options have been refined, revised and narrowed at various points in the process. 

Is Jones Middle School on the National Register of Historic Places?

No, the building itself is not on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located in the center of a nationally recognized historic district on the Mallway. 

What is the timeline for construction? 

Based on the draft master plan recommendations, construction would begin after the end of the 2027-2028 school year if a combined bond issue and operating levy is approved on the November 2026 ballot. This would follow a year-long design phase involving the community for the three buildings and a six-month-long bid process for the projects. 

A new Burbank Early Childhood School would tentatively be completed for the 2029-2030 school year. A new Hastings Middle School would tentatively be completed for the 2030-2031 school year. A new Jones Middle School would tentatively be completed during the 2030-2031 school year. 

To better understand the tentative timeline for swing space during construction, please see the following graphics.

Why not start Hastings first, and then move Jones into the old Hastings building once the new Hastings is completed?

Options that would have started construction of a new Hastings first and then moved Jones students to the old Hastings building during Jones construction were considered earlier in the process. However, based on community feedback, those options were removed from consideration last summer. These options would have extended the timeline for a new Jones Middle School, which, as a result, would not have opened until the 2033-2034 school year. The projects also would not have gone out to bid until 2030, which likely would have led to increased costs due to inflation.

Have there been considerations about building the new Jones on the football field and putting a new field at the old site once the new school is complete? 

Yes, the community has raised several ideas for alternate locations or configurations. The district and the professional design team have looked at all of those ideas — including building a new Jones Middle School on the current athletic fields — and in many cases there are issues with the limitations of the size of the site or its surroundings that led to those ideas being ruled out. That is the case for the idea of swapping the Jones building and the athletic fields. 

If Jones Middle School students are housed at an alternate site during construction, would the district provide transportation? 

Yes, the district would continue to provide transportation to and from school daily for any students who live 1.25 miles, or any students who would need to cross a hazardous road or intersection to attend school. This would include any Jones student residing south of Lane Avenue who would be at the high school or Tremont. 

Would there be staggered start and dismissal times during construction?

Staggered start and dismissal times are one option we are looking at during construction of the middle schools. This would help with transportation and congestion if plans were to move forward to locate Jones students during construction in modular classrooms at Barrington and/or Tremont elementary schools (6th grade) and a potential third-floor addition at the high school (7th and 8th grade).

Why do we need more space at the high school beyond the construction at Jones? Did we not plan appropriately? 

No, our planning for the high school fell within the enrollment projections at the time — which looked 10 years into the future. During the first phase of master planning, the plans for each building identified a space for an addition, if needed, in the future due to enrollment growth. At the high school, that space is above the district’s Mincy Center and the music rooms near the parking lot along Zollinger Road. 

When looking at options for locating Jones students during construction, the idea of a third-floor addition at the high school was brought forward as an alternative to modular classrooms. This would be similar in cost to the modular units that were included in the Jones project budget but would be a long-term investment for the district. Following Jones construction, this space would offer potential opportunities for the high school — for academic programming or pathways — while also helping to address a projected enrollment bubble that is moving through the district and anticipated to impact the high school level in the coming years.  

Where would the Jones students be eating lunch at the high school? How would related arts, library/media, IEP/504/OG/Speech/Counseling/Admin be accomplished with students in two different spaces? 

We know that many questions are going to arise from the idea of potentially housing students at the high school and Tremont during construction at Jones. Some things — such as related arts — might look slightly different while students are temporarily housed offsite, but we are committed to maintaining our current offerings and will continue to provide all federally required services for students. 

The Jones team has already begun working through some of these details, and we will be sharing more details with families if this recommendation moves forward.

Will there be facilities available to accommodate all of the musicals, concerts and other important music events that the district has at both the middle school and high school levels?

Our performing arts program is extremely important to our students and our community. We would work collaboratively across our district to appropriately plan for needed spaces.

Is it possible to put 6th grade at the high school also? 

No, we would only be able to accommodate grades 7 and 8 from Jones at the high school during construction. 

What are your plans for the Jones stadium?

The draft recommendations call for installing artificial turf at the Jones stadium at the onset of the project so that it can serve as home field for both middle schools during construction. The bleachers would be replaced and the blockhouse demolished at some point during the Jones project.  

What is the plan for middle school sports and athletic facilities during construction?

As stated above, the Jones stadium would serve as the home field for athletic competitions for both Jones and Hastings during construction. Additional athletic facilities within the district and the community would be utilized as practice sites and potential competition sites for the middle school teams. 

Would Hastings students stay in the current building while the new building is constructed on the athletic fields? 

Yes, students would remain in the current Hastings building during construction. After a new Hastings is completed, the old building would be torn down and the site, including a new athletic stadium, would be developed.

Will space be sufficient to accommodate long-term enrollment projections?

The district monitors K-12 enrollment growth projections on an annual basis through a third-party report. Although Upper Arlington is landlocked, enrollment has been growing and is projected to continue to grow over the next decade. The district utilized the most recent projections to inform the plans for the buildings.    

Will a new Burbank building be able to accommodate a higher enrollment?

Yes, the draft recommendations include a new Burbank that will have four additional classrooms. Burbank Early Childhood School is home to both a federally required program for Upper Arlington preschool students with special education needs as well as a tuition-based program. With special education identifications continuing to increase as well as a waiting list for the tuition-based program, the added classrooms would position the district to serve more families.  

What role does community feedback actually play in the final decision?

Community feedback has been vital throughout this process. No decisions have been made, and community input is essential to determining a long-term, financially responsible plan to ensure these buildings continue to support students for many years to come. 

This spring, the Board of Education is seeking additional feedback from the community to inform a final master plan recommendation. The Board expects to take action in May or June on a final master plan and a combined operating levy and bond issue for the November 2026 ballot.

Why are the estimated costs higher than they were during the first phase of facilities master planning?

High demand in the central Ohio market has led to a significant escalation in construction costs since phase one of master planning a decade ago. For instance, the phase one master plan to rebuild the high school and renovate or rebuild all five elementary schools cost $230 million at the time but would cost approximately $500 million today. The costs associated with the options for Hastings, Jones and Burbank reflect the total project costs, accounting for inflation and other factors.

Would the bond issue be combined with an operating levy? 

Yes, the draft recommendation includes a combined operating levy and bond issue on the November 2026 ballot. 

You may recall that Upper Arlington Schools last passed an operating levy in fall 2022 to support daily operations, with a commitment to return to voters in three years. Thanks to strong financial management and careful stewardship of resources, the district successfully stretched that levy an additional year. As expected, and as is typical of the levy cycle for suburban school districts like Upper Arlington, expenditures are now outpacing revenue. As a result, the district plans to return to the ballot this November for a combined operating levy and bond issue. The operating levy would maintain the current level of high-quality academic programming for Upper Arlington's student population, while the bond issue would fund the facilities master plan.

The initial master plan recommendation calls for a 4.9 mill operating levy combined with an estimated 2.0-mill increase in bond millage. If approved by voters in November, this would amount to an increase of approximately $1,210 in the property taxes for a home with an appraised value of $500,000 by the county auditor. This assumes that the bond issue will be collected over 37 years, not using level payments and an estimated interest rate at 0.25% over current rates as of February 2026. The current bond millage tax rate is 5.7 mills.

What is the cost difference of keeping the facade at Jones Middle School versus rebuilding entirely?

Based on the cost estimates for the options, it would cost an additional $10 million to rebuild Jones but keep the front wall (facade) facing Mallway Park and an additional $18.28 million to renovate Jones. Both of these options would address the physical and educational adequacy issue of the building, but design would be limited by the 1920s floor-to-ceiling heights in the original portion of the building. 

What is the cost breakdown of the high school addition vs. the modular classrooms? 

The Jones project budget includes $20 million for modular classrooms for all Jones students during construction. 

As an alternative to a full modular school during construction, the district has developed a transitional space option that would involve a third-floor addition at Upper Arlington High School (above the Mincy Center and music classrooms on the north end of the building) that would house grades grades 7 and 8 from Jones and modular classrooms at Barrington and/or Tremont for grade 6. 

The high school addition would cost approximately $14 million and would serve as a long-term investment for the district, offering additional space for growing enrollment at the high school level and additional programming. The cost of housing 6th grade in modular classrooms would be less than the remaining $6 million budgeted.