Phase One Building Projects

OUTCOMES AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF PHASE ONE

In May 2018, voters passed a 5.5 mills bonds and operating levy to fund Phase One of the GJPS Master Facilities Plan, a strategic plan to address the long-range facility needs and vision of the district. It laid an important foundation for the growth of the district, ensuring Gahanna remains an education leader in central Ohio.

GJPS was committed to open dialogue and transparency throughout the process and engaged parents, community members and school leaders, as well as outside experts, to assess the most urgent needs and assure the school community is prepared for the future. The collaborative plan addressed critical issues such as outdated building and over capacity, especially as the district prepares for a surge of new students.

TOP OUTCOMES OF PHASE ONE

Renovating Classrooms, Media Centers and Restrooms in K-8 buildings
Modernized classrooms across the district to create flexible and innovative learning spaces.

“It was important for us to ensure an equal learning environment for students, regardless of the school they attend in the district,” said Superintendent Steve Barrett. “The updates to the buildings help close the gap of equity and support a more consistent learning experience for students.”

Building a New Lincoln Elementary
The new Lincoln Elementary officially opened in August 2021 and has been widely praised for its innovative design, including smart technology for classrooms and sensory spaces for students. This was the first new school building GJPS has had in 27 years and the preview event and celebration in June 2021 was a great success as families toured the building and enjoyed fellowship.

“The building features 30 classrooms, five classrooms per grade level, to help us serve 750 students,” said Barrett. “The new building, along with the redistricting effort, were critically important to ensure our district is well positioned as our population continues to expand. We focused on building new connections with different families who were all coming together to be part of this new community.”

Conducting a Feasibility Study to Identify Solutions for Lincoln High School
To address an overcrowded and aging Gahanna Lincoln High School, the district conducted a study on how best to support students for 21st century learning. A new high school was identified as the most economical and beneficial solution. GJPS will break ground on the project in fall 2022.

Coming in Under Budget
It was a competitive construction market and labor costs were soaring in 2021. The new Lincoln Elementary was a $24 million project, and GJPS finished the building $400,000 under budget. Some cost cuttings examples included removing the permanent stage planned for the cafeteria which was incredibly costly. Instead, district leaders opted for a less expensive portable stage. Also, the internal GJPS team took the lead on purchasing all of furniture and technology, which provided significant cost savings.

“The work our team did during Phase One gives us the experience and the confidence to take on Phase Two, which is a much bigger undertaking and includes the building of our new Gahanna Lincoln High School,” said Barrett. “Labor shortages continue to be an issue as does supply chain challenges. I am confident in our team’s ability to be thrifty once again to stretch the dollars.”