The most recent series of community listening sessions, focus groups and a ThoughtExchange reinvigorated Lakota’s Master Facilities Planning (MFP) process, which was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through all these opportunities, participants were asked to reflect on lessons learned from the pandemic that might alter Lakota’s original visioning exercise completed over a year ago.

While the facilities planning process was underway last year, the work was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MFP committee, made up of district leaders, school board members and VSWC Architects, began meeting in November and has begun to re-engage the community in the process.

In March 2020, the Lakota Master Facilities Plan (MFP) committee pressed pause on its work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee reconvened in November to continue this important process, as outlined in Lakota’s strategic plan. The last time Lakota completed a modified MFP was in 2008. The last comprehensive plan was completed in the early 2000s.

In line with Lakota’s strategic plan, which calls for an in-depth assessment of our facilities, the district launched a full-scale master facilities planning process last year. The end goal was to build a plan that protects the district’s most important assets - Lakota’s 25 buildings valued at more than $400 million - and supports the type of learning that will carry our schools into the future.

In accordance with guidance from the Butler County Health Department, Lakota Local Schools has compiled a comprehensive resource manual outlining the district’s safety protocols and guidelines for its responsible reopening this school year.

Due to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, Lakota Local Schools has pressed pause on the process to create a new Master Facilities Plan (MFP). District leaders will continue working on the plan in the coming months. As a result, the scheduled meetings, including the community open houses, have been postponed.

On Feb. 26 members of the community gathered at Lakota West Freshman to hear the district’s most recent update on the Master Facilities planning (MFP) process. Attendees heard from Superintendent Matthew Miller, Chief Operations Officer Chris Passarge and Educational Visioning Planner Tracy Richter. “We’ve spent the past month meeting with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) to update our building conditions and holding focus groups to hear from our community about what they think education should look like in Lakota,” said Passarge.

As Lakota moves forward in creating a new Master Facilities Plan, it is imperative that we include our community in the process. Our next community meeting is on Feb. 26 to discuss results from our recent visioning sessions with students, parents, staff and business & government officials.

Immediately following the first Master Facilities community meeting on Jan. 28, Lakota Local Schools launched a ThoughtExchange online survey to gather feedback about the data shared. 

Lakota continues to make progress toward building a Master Facilities Plan (MFP) that protects Lakota's most important physical assets and supports the type of learning that will carry our schools into the future. Parents, staff, students and community members are invited to attend the community visioning meeting on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m at Lakota West Freshman.

On Tuesday night, the community had its first opportunity to hear the results of an intensive review of Lakota’s school buildings presented alongside the district’s student enrollment projections. The analysis lays the groundwork for a multi-year Master Facilities Plan (MFP) that hasn’t been updated since the early 2000s.

Lakota’s strategic plan calls for an in-depth assessment of our facilities, with the end goal being to build a plan that protects our district’s most important assets and supports the type of learning that will carry our schools into the future. The first community meeting on Jan. 28 will share data that the committee has gathered so far to help devise a plan.