Grandview Heights Schools is excited to revisit the Stevenson Elementary aspects of our Facilities Master Plan.  

Board of Education Discusses Stevenson Elementary and K-12 Athletic Complex Planning at April 10, 2024, Board of Education Meeting (Posted 4.16.2024) 

During the April 10, 2024 regular Board of Education meeting, Board members engaged in conversation regarding Stevenson Elementary and the K-12 Athletic Complex during the open discussion portion of the agenda.  You can view the Board of Education conversation here starting at the 1:01 time mark on the video.

Facility Committee Shares Recommendation (Posted 3.18.2024)

At the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting on March 13, 2024, two representatives from the community-led Facility Committee, David Schmied and Debra Hoelzle, addressed the Board to share the committee’s outcomes and insights regarding the Stevenson Elementary and K-12 Athletic Complex Master Plans and the committee’s recommendation for the Board’s consideration.  Below is a summary of the information that was shared.  A summary handout was shared at the meeting as well. 

The Facility Committee noted the following Stevenson Elementary Reconstruction and Master Plan features:

• Modern, flexible learning spaces designed for children, fostering creativity and collaboration, with a strong emphasis on safety and security, all within a design that holds a traditional aesthetic.
• Significantly expanded gym similar to what exists at Larson Middle School with independent access for community complete with restrooms and storage.
• Construction of a new two-story Stevenson Elementary on the existing site necessitates housing students in modular classrooms for one academic school year.
• Temporary relocation of Stevenson Elementary students to modular classrooms on the grass lawn south of Larson Middle School for one academic year.

The Facility Committee noted the following K-12 Athletic Complex Plan - Phases 1 and 2 features:

• Current Activity:
• Replacement of the Track and D Rings (the area between the endzone and track to include enhancements to the long jump, high jump, and pole vault field events and an additional training/staging area all of which will be the same synthetic material of the track).  We are also “fixing” the spur so that we will be able to now use the timing systems reliably.  This project is being funded by the Permanent Improvement Fund.  

• Planned Improvements:
• Replacement of synthetic turf.
• New home stadium bleachers and press box.
• New visitor bleachers.
• ADA accessibility for both home and away bleachers that does not exist today.
• A new central building north of the scoreboard would include locker rooms, coaches' rooms, trainers' rooms, and storage.
• New restrooms.
• Two additional locker rooms to be located under the home bleachers.

The presenters also highlighted extensive conversations by the Facility Committee around the concept of levy fatigue given the relatively recent school district and City of Grandview Heights bond levies and the impact of the 2023 property reappraisals.  This information was contrasted with the current market conditions in central Ohio emphasizing that while costs have risen since the completion of the middle and high school projects, costs are unlikely to ever be lower than they are today. The cost to maintain the aging Stevenson Elementary and K-12 Athletic Complex will only continue to grow.

In the coming months, the Board of Education will continue discussing, deliberating, and deciding the merits of a November 2024 bond levy to build a new Stevenson Elementary and Phase 1 and 2 of the K-12 Athletic Complex.  

A recording of the March 13 Board of Education meeting can be found here.  Additionally, all information regarding the Stevenson Elementary and K-12 Athletic Complex Master Plans can be found at www.ghschools.org.

Facility Committee Outcomes and Insights - Stevenson Elementary and K-12 Athletic Complex Master Plans (Posted 3.11.2024)

After more than a year of Stevenson Elementary Master Planning committee meetings, community meetings, and building tours, two representatives from the Facility Committee will present the committee’s outcomes and insights regarding the Stevenson Elementary and K-12 Athletic Complex Master Plans, as part of the district's Facilities Master Plan, to the Board of Education at their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.  The meeting will be held in the Larson Middle School Media Center.  

The Board will not be taking any action at this regularly scheduled Board meeting, only hearing and discussing the Facilities Master Plan and the outcomes and insights of the Facility Master Planning Committees’ work. To review the process to date, visit Stevenson Elementary Planning K-12 Athletic Complex

Stevenson Elementary Facility Committee Holds Second, Final Meeting February 28, 2024 (Posted 3.11.2024)

On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, members of the Facility Committee, composed of 17 community and two Board of Education members, held their second and final meeting to review and study the various options for reimagining Stevenson Elementary as part of the district’s Facilities Master Plan.  The facility committee’s goal is to present its outcomes and insights to the Board of Education at its regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.

The first item of business was to build a collective understanding of the Stevenson Elementary Master Planning Process, the K-12 Athletic Planning Process, review cost estimates, learn what is the best way to fund construction projects, and review and answer any questions received from individual committee members since the last meeting.  The questions and answers were compiled in a summarized document and shared with the committee so members could collectively learn from each other.  

Concord Addis LLC presented additional information and clarifications related to the construction inflation numbers that are factored into the project cost estimates.

The committee then divided into three groups to discuss and deliberate on the presented topics and information. The committee then reconvened, and representatives from each group shared their group discussion, including their group's recommendation and any additional questions, queries, concerns, and/or feedback. 

Through a collective and comprehensive discussion, the Facility Committee reached a consensus on what the committee believes should be the course of action for Stevenson Elementary and the K-12 Athletic Complex. Two representatives from the Facility Committee will present the committee’s outcomes and insights to the Board of Education at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.

Stevenson Elementary, Larson Middle School Host Community Tours (Posted 2.14.2024) 

From February 6-9, community members were invited to tour Stevenson Elementary and Larson Middle School to view needs firsthand and see the difference in education that a new and innovative building can make.  Stevenson Elementary Principal Lisa Sullivan shared, “I have given a few tours of our building, and I will say that they have been very positive. I had one tour participant who was 80-years-old say, ‘Yeah. You’re due for an upgrade.’ She said that it looked like the building that SHE went to elementary school in.” 

Stevenson Elementary Facility Committee Holds First Meeting January 25, 2024 (Posted 2.8.2024)

On Thursday, January 25, 2024, members of the Facility Committee held their first of two meetings to review and study the various options for reimagining Stevenson Elementary as part of the district’s Facilities Master Plan.  The goal of the committee is to present its final recommendation to the Board of Education at its regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.

Steve Turckes and Aimee Eckmann, architects with Perkins&Will, presented outcomes from previous three visioning sessions that included staff, parents, administrators, and community members. Information gathered during these visioning sessions gave rise to the draft conceptualizations that were presented, including both traditional and contemporary approaches to a two-story and a three-story reimagination of Stevenson Elementary to be located on its existing site.

Treasurer Beth Collier presented on school finance topics including the funding mechanism for Ohio public schools, an overview of property tax levies, and the district’s current 5 Year forecast.  She also explained how the Grandview Yard development provides vital operating funds to the district and provided an overview of the financing arrangement for the district’s 2018 facility construction project.

Paul Rutter, an attorney with Bricker Graydon, explained the options available for capital financing under Ohio law.  He also provided information on legal debt limits and the process for placing a bond issue on the ballot.  Marvin Founds, a financial consultant with Baker Tilly, shared details on how ballot millage is determined and provided estimated millage rates for a potential capital project. Presentations from the meeting are attached to the right.

The following community members are serving on this committee and we gratefully appreciate their time and service to this very important process as part of our Facilities Master Plan.

Stevenson Elementary Master Plan Update Community Meeting Update (Posted 1.25.2024)

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, community members gathered in the Stevenson Elementary Gymnasium to learn about the most recent progress on the Stevenson Elementary Master Plan.  Attendees were welcomed by Superintendent Andy Culp and Chief Academic Officer Angie Ullum.

Steve Turckes and Aimee Eckmann, architects with Perkins&Will, presented the outcomes from three visioning sessions that included staff, parents, administrators, and community members. Information gathered during these visioning sessions gave rise to the draft conceptualizations that were presented, including both traditional and contemporary approaches to a two-story and a three-story reimagination of Stevenson Elementary to be located on its existing site.  Limitations and opportunities were shared and clarified.  At the conclusion of the presentation, attendees were invited to Q&A opportunities with both the administrators and the architects and to complete a short survey (specific only to the evening's presentation).

Community members are invited to view the presentation (attached at right and which includes draft layouts and renderings) and watch a video recording of the meeting here https://youtu.be/uOrSZQmNSL8.  Community members are welcome to contact Superintendent Andy Culp with any questions or comments at [email protected]. 

Stevenson Elementary Master Planning Update (Posted 8.2023)

We have recently concluded our third Stevenson Elementary Master Planning Committee meeting. We have had a total of three full day meetings with parents, teachers, and administration to create a Master Plan for Stevenson Elementary School to address the current building needs.  I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the committee members - teachers, staff, community, and Board members - who have been involved in our process thus far.  Your input, dedication, and passion for the future of our schools are commendable and highly appreciated.

There is consensus among the committee members regarding the following:

• Limitations exist on the Stevenson Elementary site due to the need for increased square footage and limited acreage available.  

• While options for both a renovation and new construction were presented to the committee, the preference was unanimous to build a new Stevenson Elementary because of inherent design limitations posed by the current building.  

• The committee unequivocally agreed that disruption to student learning must be minimized. As such, K-3 students should be relocated to an alternate location during construction, either modular classrooms located on district property or utilizing other Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff locations, to expedite construction and maintain student safety.  

Our architects and programming and planning partners, Perkins & Will, are presently assimilating all of the feedback and will soon present an update to the Board of Education which will include options for renovation and new construction, along with corresponding timelines and cost estimates.  We will send notification reminders via Parent Square when a Stevenson Elementary facilities presentation will be on the Board of Education meeting agenda.  We also commit to communicating this more broadly to our wider community through social media and other communications.  

We remain dedicated to creating a learning environment at Stevenson Elementary that is flexible, adaptable, child-centered, sustainable, welcoming, safe, and fiscally responsible, as guided by the principles developed by the committee.

Again, thank you for your continued support and involvement. I encourage you all to stay engaged as we continue working towards building a bright and prosperous future for our students and our community.

Stevenson Elementary Planning Update (Posted 6.2023)

We are pleased to share an update about the exciting progress on the Stevenson Elementary project following the latest Board of Education meeting on June 21, 2023. The architectural firm Perkins & Will was commissioned for the project and is doing a remarkable job in reimagining Stevenson Elementary. Their expertise, combined with the invaluable input from our planning committee of educators, staff, and community members, is helping us shape a future-ready school that will serve our children's educational needs in the most comprehensive way.  A copy of the June 21 Board of Education presentation is attached.

During the course of our planning process, we focused on seven key areas:

1. Student Learning Spaces (core academic)
2. Professional Spaces
3. Community and Stakeholder Spaces
4. Media Spaces
5. Fitness and Wellness Spaces
6. Visual and Performing Arts Spaces
7. Facility Support Spaces

Our planning committee has conducted two workshops thus far. The first was on May 2, which involved thinking about how the form and function of learning spaces would best meet our students and staff needs.  This was followed by a second workshop on June 14, where we reviewed draft program building diagrams and performed a site analysis and design.  The outcomes of these workshops led to the development of six guiding principles that we believe the new learning environments for Stevenson Elementary should embody. These principles include spaces that are:

1. Flexible, adaptable, and spark curiosity.
2. Child-centered and appropriately designed for learner success.
3. Sustainable, honor the health of occupants and the planet, and embrace the outdoors.
4. Welcoming and inclusive for all.
5. Safe and secure.
6. Fiscally responsible and community responsive.

We're looking forward to our next workshop on August 10, where we'll finalize the program, building diagrams, and site design.   We highly encourage community members to attend future Board of Education meetings to stay up-to-date with the latest information on this important project.  We appreciate your continued support and engagement in this important community endeavor.   

Grandview Heights Undergoes Stevenson Elementary  Master Plan Planning and Programming Phase (Posted 1.2023)

Grandview Heights Schools is presently in the planning and programming phase regarding Stevenson Elementary. This is a collaborative effort between our dedicated staff and community members and is being facilitated by the architecture firm of Perkins&Will.  These programming and planning meetings are designed to engage thinking around how students learn and how we can create and build innovative, collaborative, and flexible spaces to best support their learning.  We are grateful for the input and support from all involved parties as we work together to create a learning environment that fosters growth, innovation, and academic excellence.