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Mount Vernon superintendent says district pursuing master plan, may pursue OFCC partnership to accelerate projects
Summary
Superintendent briefed the board on facility master‑planning work, four configuration options under review, a potential Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) partnership that could speed access to state funds if the district presents a high‑level plan, and a facility advisory committee site visit on Feb. 18.
The superintendent updated the Mount Vernon City Schools board on the district’s facility master plan process and said staff have discussed four grade‑configuration options and are preparing site and program research for the facility advisory committee.
“We have partnered and joined with the Ohio Facility Construction Commission,” the superintendent said, describing conversations that began in the previous spring. “They contacted us 2 weeks ago and said, hey, if you could have a high level view of what your plan is... we would move you up to the front of the list.” The superintendent said that placement can accelerate eligibility for OFCC funding if a local bond were in place.
The presentation laid out trade‑offs the district is weighing: minimizing transitions for students; operational and transportation impacts; and building size and site selection. The district is examining options that would reduce the number of elementary buildings from six to between two and four depending on configuration, and staff highlighted Shale Meadows Elementary as a model of a large K–5 campus that uses pod designs to preserve a small‑school feel.
The superintendent said the district has an invitation to tour recently built facilities and will host a site visit for the facility advisory committee on Feb. 18; the committee will also do a virtual visit to Hillsdale, a recently built k–12 facility described as a potential reference for space planning. The superintendent cautioned that the district is at a master‑planning stage, not site selection, and that exact site decisions would come later.
Board members asked about timing and what would be required to be included on the OFCC list. The superintendent said providing a high‑level configuration and rough locally‑funded components would be sufficient to advance the district’s place on OFCC’s schedule, and that local decisions (for example inclusion of an auditorium or pre‑K in the locally funded portion) would follow detailed planning.
The presentation did not propose any immediate bond or site selection; it framed the work as a master‑planning effort and noted operational details — busing, food service and building footprints — that will be part of later analysis.
