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District outlines master-plan outreach, student simulations and pilot projects to shape school designs
Summary
Columbus City Schools described a multi-phase facility master plan engagement that included student simulations, site tours and a draft ThoughtExchange survey. Staff emphasized reaching families where they are, piloting ideas through life-cycle renewals and using ‘editioning’ guardrails to help communities make design trade-offs.
Columbus — District staff told the Academic Facility Alignment Committee on April 15 that the facility master plan (FMP) outreach has shifted to meet families and students where they are, with hybrid and in-person events, site tours and hands-on exercises to inform educational specifications.
The outreach so far has included a student-focused video and visits to model facilities; staff reported engaging more than 200 students in site-based simulations and said they will schedule additional tours (including an April 29 walkthrough of the Thomas Worthington site) and community ed‑visioning sessions April 27–29.
Alex Trevino, who described the block-simulation exercise the district used in prior planning, said the simulation turns a complex resource-allocation question into a tangible exercise: participants are given rules (minimum school sizes and site capacities) and then allocate “blocks” to represent seats and programs so they can see trade-offs and consequences of consolidation or expansion.
Trevino said the activity is practical: the block exercise “let[s] people wrestle with a resource allocation issue that has no great answer,” and it can be run in-person or electronically so community members can try different configurations.
Why it matters: Staff argued that piloting smaller design changes via the district’s life‑cycle renewal work allows the district to test ideas and learn before launching major construction, and that curated “editioning” — narrowing options for communities with clear guardrails — helps avoid overwhelming stakeholders with unlimited choices.
Survey and next steps
Staff previewed a draft survey intended to gather parent and community responses on programming and preferences. The research team said it will deploy the instrument through ThoughtExchange and asked committee members to provide feedback on wording before an expected May release.
Staff also described an at‑a‑glance toolkit and a committee SharePoint site to centralize presentations, maps and outreach materials so committee members can facilitate ed‑visioning in their neighborhoods.
What’s next
Committee members asked staff to plan fall engagement as a multi-week sequence with daytime, evening and weekend options and to train committee volunteers to lead community ed‑visioning sessions. Staff will confirm additional site tours and finalize the survey after committee feedback.
