Thank you, Lakewood voters, for passing Issue 84! The district can now move forward finishing the final phase of its Master Facilities Plan. This last phase includes rebuilding Grant, Lincoln and Roosevelt elementary schools and the eastern half (from the Civic east) of Lakewood High School. Thanks to the generosity of our voters, the district will receive $50 million from the State of Ohio or half the cost of the $100 million project.
“We are extremely grateful to the community for its support of this important issue,” said Superintendent Jeff Patterson. “By passing Issue 84, we can now finish the job rebuilding our schools so that all our students have the opportunity to learn in safe and secure, energy efficient buildings.”
The district is eager to get to work on our new schools. However, there is a long process ahead before students walk in the doors of their new buildings. The earliest target date for the schools opening would be Fall 2016 for the elementary schools and January 2017 for the high school. In between now and then, the district must select architects, gather input from the community and staff on building designs, review preliminary designs, demolish the buildings, solicit bids for the job and then, hopefully, begin construction in Spring 2015. Transition plans for the students in the affected buildings should be announced by the end of January.
Lakewood City Schools is fortunate to be in a community that consistently shows that it values public education and wants the best education available for its youth. When the four new buildings are complete, our city will have among the best facilities in the state for our students to learn. Thank you, again, Lakewood!