News & Announcements

At its June 30 regular meeting, the Lakota Local Schools Board of Education took the formal step of placing a bond issue on the November 2025 ballot to fund renovations to aging facilities and the construction of new buildings to meet the District’s growing enrollment, enhance student safety and support academic achievement through learning environments.

Students, staff and community members recently came together to dream big about the future of Lakota Schools—and the ideas were inspiring. From flexible learning spaces to outdoor classrooms and student-centered design, these visioning sessions are shaping what comes next in Lakota's continuing Master Facilities Planning process.

As Lakota continues to develop its new Master Facilities Plan (MFP), the School Board and District are dedicated to involving the community throughout the process. Over the next several months, there will be numerous opportunities for community members and staff to provide their input in various formats.

The Lakota Board of Education and its facilities committee have been dedicated to moving forward with the District’s master facilities plan. As the District looks to engage the community for feedback about how our schools can support student education now and for the future, WE want to know what questions you have about the master facilities plan.

Lakota Local Schools recently conducted a public opinion research study to understand the community's views on various aspects of the school district. The study was carried out by Fallon Research & Communications, Inc. in February and involved 401 live telephone interviews and secure SMS/text-to-web surveys with adult residents of the District. Paul Fallon presented his findings to the Board of Education at the March 19 master facilities committee meeting.

At the March 4, 2025 Master Facilities Committee meeting, John Mercurio from John W. Mercurio and Associates presented his findings from an independent enrollment study conducted for the District. Chief Operating Officer Chris Passarge commissioned Mercurio for this project to provide the committee a second enrollment study to compare against the one conducted by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) last fall.

In January, the Lakota Board of Education determined that the District’s facilities committee would begin meeting twice a month, beginning in February. The committee continues to move forward with its work to address the District’s aging facilities and overcrowding of schools.

Chief Operations Officer Chris Passarge updated the Board about the results of the Ohio Facilities Construction Committee’s (OFCC) recent enrollment study and the establishment of a working timeline for the master facilities plan. The enrollment study, along with updated building assessments, were funded through the OFCC as part of the Board’s unanimous decision to join the Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP).

At its April 22 board meeting, the Lakota Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution to re-enroll the district in Ohio’s Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP). Hosted by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), enrollment is required to gain the OFCC’s support and partnership in ultimately building a master facilities plan that, when approved by the commission, will be financed in part by the State.

The Lakota School Board’s Master Facilities committee held its quarterly meeting on Nov. 17. Responding to a request from the Board at the last meeting, Chief Operations Officer Chris Passarge updated the committee on enrollment data and capital improvement projects.

“Timing is going to drive a lot of our discussion (and planning),” Chief Operations Officer Chris Passarge told the facilities committee. It will also impact pending projects for the district’s current learning spaces.

With the new grade bands approved by the Lakota Board of Education, the Master Facilities Committee met on May 5, 2023 to continue its discussion on how best to make the plan become a reality and meet the future educational needs of Lakota students in a fiscally responsible way.

Lakota’s Master Facilities Committee met on March 6, 2023 to begin reviewing possible locations for new buildings that would align with the approved Master Facilities Plan (MFP).

At its Dec. 12, 2022 meeting, the Lakota Board of Education approved Master Facilities Plan (MFP) option four. The facilities committee will return to the community for input as it begins to put more detail behind the approved plan. 

At the Dec. 5, 2022 Master Facilities committee meeting, the Board reviewed potential operational savings between plan options three and four.

At the Oct. 3, 2022 Master Facilities Plan meeting, (MFP) the committee members reviewed potential operational savings and announced a second community meeting in October.

Members of the district’s master facilities committee met on Sept. 6 to receive an update on community engagement and discuss the project’s timeline for selecting a final plan. 

Lakota Local Schools announces its next community meeting on the Master Facilities planning process.

Members of Lakota’s master facilities planning (MFP) committee met on Aug. 8 to review feedback from recent community meetings and additional information on potential savings related to maintenance and operating expenses.

Join leaders from Lakota Local Schools on Wednesday, July 13 at Freedom Elementary School to learn more about the district's Master Facilities planning process.