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Ten years after the formation of the Ohio School Facilities Commission, many Butler County school districts are in some stage of construction of new buildings or facilities planning. Here's an outlook for schools in the area:

Hamilton

With the prospect of building eight new elementary schools comes challenges, Hamilton City School District officials say.

"While this truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the incredible responsibility that goes with it can be daunting," said Superintendent Janet Baker. "The stakes are high. We must strike a balance between cost, maintenance, energy efficiency, health, flexibility, technology, security, and, ultimately, the impact on teaching and learning."

The true challenge lies in the district and community being vigilant in designing educational facilities for not only current, but future students who will attend the schools in the next 25-75 years, officials say.

To future-proof buildings, Baker said officials plan to:

• Invest in an infrastructure that will support a high tech environment. New technologies also will increase student motivation and enable the classroom teacher to get more immediate feedback and thus improve student performance.

"We are designing pathways into the buildings for future use, and we are also designing the systems to handle significantly greater data traffic than we use today," said Jim Boerke, director of planning, operations, construction management.

• Design buildings to be environmentally friendly. Going green can save energy, water, money, reduce pollution, improve health and exhibit social responsibility.

• Construct the new schools with enhanced safety and security features. Anyone entering one of the new buildings will do so through a secure entrance and will be granted limited access by a receptionist.

"We also have state-of-the-art fire and smoke detection systems," Boerke said.

Fairfield

The coming year for the Fairfield City School district will be all about community outreach.

The production of "Phantom of the Opera" and the Senior Prom will be events geared to bringing people together, school officials said.

"Dancing with the Senior Stars" will take place April 25 at the Fairfield Intermediate School, and will be an open event for older adults in the community. Many of those expected to attend already volunteer in the schools or participate in the senior citizen lunches conducted each year at one of the various Fairfield school buildings.

"After Hours Big Band" which includes the Intermediate School's Assistant Principal Dan Nichols, will play music for the two-hour event. The Choraliers will be on hand to dance with anyone that needs a partner, and refreshments will be served, said organizer Gayle Niehaus, principal of the Intermediate School.

"It should be a good night," Niehaus said. " I think that number one, we really need to revere our senior citizens. They have so much to offer us. We'd like to just pay back to those community members and let them know how much we appreciate them in our community."

Ross

Ross Local School District officials are considering an operating levy on the November ballot, which should come as no surprise to the community.

After voters approved a 0.75-percent, four-year income tax in May 2005, Superintendent Todd Yohey thanked the community for its support and told voters that officials would come back on the 2009 ballot seeking to renew or replace that operating levy.

Officials said they are now considering an operating levy on the November ballot to provide taxpayers an opportunity to convert the current income tax to earned income tax only.

Earned income tax taxes only earned income and not retirement income, pensions, lottery winnings, interest dividends capital gains profit from rental activities or distributive shares of profit from corporations, Yohey said.

District educators said in 2008 they also will be looking at the value added component recently added to the state report card.

"The value added is going to make sure that every child — regardless of their achievement level — will be making a year's worth of progress in one academic year," said Greg Young, assistant superintendent. "We can look at groups of students and determine whether we are meeting their individual needs."

Badin

As boundaries are lifted for Catholic school enrollment, Badin High School administrators say recruiting has taken on a whole new meaning.

"In a truly competitive society the strong will prosper," Frank Margello said. "Badin has positioned itself among the strong and will weather the storms provided by stiffer competition and will remain."

The 2007-08 school was the first year that boundaries for attendance areas for Cincinnati Catholic schools were removed and recruiting no longer limited to geographical location.

Badin officials have adopted the philosophy if "you are standing still, you are really going backwards."

"Badin has always offered its students a fine education and plenty of opportunities to go to some of the finest colleges in America," Margello said. "We also recognize that with that being said, there are areas for us to improve."

Science rooms have been completely refurbished and Badin is now able to boast about four state-of-the-art science labs, which contain state-of-the-art technological advances usually reserved for college-level programs.

Margello said 94 percent of Badin's graduates go on to college.

In order to allow students to take a more varied curriculum including psychology, ACT/SAT preparation, additional fine arts, performing arts, economics, accounting, an extra period — from the traditional seven-period day to an eight-period day — will be added next year giving students an opportunity to earn an additional 3.5 credits toward graduation.

"The most important part of Badin High School is our student population, the great experience they have over a four-year period and the great success they experience beyond our hallways — that's what its all about," said Dirk Allen, school spokesman.

Edgewood

Edgewood schools are combating overcrowding at schools due to growth in the district in recent years. In order to accommodate the growing student body, some Edgewood schools have turned unconventional areas, such as stages, into classrooms.

The board of education has been discussing possible options, such as a new building, to deal with the growth and has engaged the community in two forums on the subject in recent months.

Middletown

Middletown schools will open this fall the final three buildings in the first phase of its facilities plans, which consisted of the construction of six elementary schools and the renovation of two others.

New Creekview, Highview and Rosa Parks elementary schools opened in the 2006-07 school year and Miller Ridge opened in the fall of 2007. Construction is wrapping up at Wildwood and Mayfield elementary schools, scheduled to open in the next school year.

Central Academy, Middletown's public school of choice, will move to a renovated Rosedale Elementary this fall as well, and renovations were also done at Amanda Elementary.

Monroe

Just like the city, Monroe Local Schools is growing. The growth rate in the district is about 10 percent each year, which this year alone has translated into about 200 new students so far, school district officials said. The district's master plan calls for a total enrollment of about 3,300 by the year 2010/2011. The district's current enrollment is 2,217 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.

Currently, Monroe is housing early primary grades in the old Monroe Elementary school because the other building has run out of space. Monroe's facility plans calls for a new elementary school to be built on the same campus.

Madison

After using local dollars to fund a new junior/senior high several years ago, Madison schools will complete its facilities plan with an addition of elementary and primary classrooms, using OSFC funds. The OSFC, which funds portions of construction projects based on district needs, allows district's to use the local share to begin projects before the district's number comes up on the OSFC list.

Madison was confirmed to receive its local share in 2007 and has already started the planning process for construction to add classrooms to the junior/senior building to make one building housing K-12 students.

Valley View

Valley View, as part of the OSFC process, asked voters to approve March 4 the local share of a construction project for a new building on one campus for all grades.

Carlisle

Carlisle Local Schools anticipates the district will be notified if they have qualified for funding from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission in March. The district of 1,800 students will likely receive 62 percent of the cost to construct new schools from the state, said Acting Superintendent Mike Griffith. All of their buildings – which include an elementary, intermediate, middle school and high school – will be replaced, but the district has not yet decided how many buildings will be constructed. After the district accepts funding from the state, they will have one year to secure local tax dollars to cover the remaining cost, which Griffith said will likely be between $50 million and $60 million.

Franklin

Franklin City Schools will not be constructing any new buildings this year but the district currently has a building not being used. The board of education has been discussing the reuse of Laura Farrell, a former sixth-grade campus at 513 Park Ave., but has not yet decided how best to utilize the building.

Lakota

Communication will play a large role in the goals Lakota officials have set for 2008.

It started at the end of January when the board took a two-day retreat to Miami University, where getting everyone on the same page was the main focus.

"This was the first time we took the entire executive cabinet," said Superintendent Mike Taylor. "With the two new board members coming in, it was really an opportunity to begin to unite ourselves as the leadership team for the Lakota school district."

Taylor has also placed a strong emphasis on community involvement, forming a committee of 72 community members to address growth and facility needs for the district.

"They bring a wealth of information and knowledge to the table, and that's what makes our community so rich," Taylor said. "I think again, it's how we engage one another with the different conversations and issues