Oakwood district to relocate offices after Rubicon House deemed unsafe; seven-year lease at Sugar Camp approved earlier

The Oakwood Board of Education heard a superintendent report on December 8 explaining why the district is moving central office operations out of the historic Rubicon House.

The superintendent said the district temporarily relocated staff roughly three months earlier in response to “immediate health and safety concerns” and longstanding structural problems at 20 Rubicon Road, including basement support issues and limitations that make the building not ADA-compliant. The superintendent said there is currently “one floor jack in the basement supporting the sagging first floor,” and that additional structural work would be costly and still leave the building functionally inadequate for district needs.

The board previously approved a seven-year lease for space at Sugar Camp at its Nov. 10 meeting, the superintendent said, and the district is preparing a phased move targeted for the spring. In the meantime roughly a dozen district personnel are operating out of two classrooms at Smith Elementary and other community spaces are being used for meetings. The superintendent said the leased Sugar Camp space will provide a “safe, secure, and ADA compliant and efficient environment for staff and visitors” and allow staff to continue evaluating longer-term options.

Board member commentary emphasized transparency about the process. One board member noted that the Nov. 10 approval followed deliberation: “We did our due diligence of making sure we knew what all the options were that have been explored,” the member said, and urged ongoing communication with the community.

The superintendent advised that district contact functions — background checks, volunteer registration, employment processing and the Oakwood Schools Foundation workspace — remain in operation during the transition, and asked community members to use Smith Elementary for district‑level questions until the move is complete.