Page 54 - spaces4learning, Fall 2022

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PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
THE TOP 10 THINGS
I LEARNED FROM
BUILDING A $51M
P􏰀E􏰁-􏰂􏰃 CAMPUS
By John Stoddard (with John Peretz)
The Backstory
On a beautiful August evening in Burton, Ohio, Berkshire Local Schools Superintendent John Stoddard collected his thoughts before the community ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new PreK-12 school. Not knowing what to expect in terms of attendance, Stoddard watched as more and more people gath- ered to check out the beautiful facility, built on the Kent State University–Geauga campus. There was unmistakable energy from the estimated crowd of over 2,000 people, more than the entire population of the Village of Burton. As Stoddard and his school board members cut the ribbon and opened the school for the general public to see, Stoddard had a moment to pause and reflect. This was one long journey.
Over ten years in the making, the new school was finally ready to open. School board president John Manfredi made some impactful opening comments about the school and what it meant for the community. But, as with any enormous endeavor, the public saw only the finished campus—not all the hard work, funding hurdles and decisions that were made along the way. But those in the school-building process know better.
John Stoddard recently sat down with education writer John Peretz to give the inside scoop on what he learned and the advice he’d give others just starting the process. Here are his top 10 tips.
1. Build Consensus Early
As educators, we often hear the words “soft skills,” and you will use many of them during a new school build. Communication, flexibility, teamwork, problem-solving, empathy, adaptability, and (perhaps most importantly) stress
management will all be essential.
With your initial team in place, aligning the overall vision
with your most important stakeholders is essential. Sharing thoughts and ideas and forming a common vision will be crucial to your success.
2. Be Ready for the Levy
One of the most important steps you can take is to get ready for the levy. Unfortunately, most first-time referendums fail— not because of a lack of vision, but from a reluctance of voters to pass additional tax hikes. Even more strikingly, voters may not trust the school board or administration.
We were fortunate because voters passed our bond measure by almost a 2-1 margin. But we did a lot of preparation. For example, we made sure we had yard signs in support of the measure, about 750–1,000 in all. In preliminary meetings, we had people we knew ask the first 5-10 questions, since this can often lead to the direction a meeting will go.
We also brainstormed many potential objections (such as an increase in taxes) and focused on the value that good schools bring to property values.
We also stressed the value of having a more prepared workforce and the importance of having more options for our students to achieve the American dream.
3. Create Powerful Partnerships
Creating meaningful partnerships was critical to our new school campus. We secured a 99-year land lease on the Kent State University–Geauga campus for $1. This should be a win- win situation, since we’ll be providing new students to Kent State, and our families will have the opportunity to jump-start their children’s college careers while still in high school. This is a huge financial win for our rural community.
We were also able to add trade tracks for diesel mechanics and other options through a unique partnership with the Auburn Career Center.
Our partnership also extends into healthcare. Our students will be able to participate in a new healthcare track with Kent State University and University Hospitals. The ever-increasing demand for skilled healthcare workers allows students to take classes and become employed in entry-level healthcare jobs right out of high school.
Finally, don’t forget about corporate sponsors and nonprofits. We were able to receive $2 million from the generosity of Great Lakes Cheese Company for a beautiful outdoor stadium. We also received funding from the KeyBank Foundation for makerspace equipment and training.
4. Tour Other New Schools and Facilities
Take the time to see what other new schools are doing. There’s a lot of new technology and design out there, with different price points. We took tours and talked with the administrators and teachers of several schools to see what they liked and learned during the process.
With our school being built in Ohio, some of the more open andoutdoordesignswouldn’thaveworkedforourmoreextreme climate. We also asked for specific construction considerations, such as a sloped roof instead of a flat roof, because of the snow
54 FALL 2022 | spaces4learning.com