Ohio Facilities Construction Commission

The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission administers the State’s comprehensive public school construction program and assists school districts in the planning, design, renovation, and construction of schools. District enrollments in Ohio range from less than 50 to approximately 50,000 students.

While FutureThink has worked continually with OFCC since 2006, Tracy Healy started her first projects with the Commission in 1998. FutureThink is the sole provider of enrollment projections for OFCC and has provided projections for over 530 of Ohio’s 610 school districts and for 44 of the 49 Joint Vocational Districts.

In addition to projecting enrollment, Tracy has provided a variety of educational planning services to OFCC, including:

• Online Questionnaire Creation & Ongoing Revisions

• Ohio Design Manual Updates

• 21st Century Learning Environments Planning Process & Research

• Survey of OFCC Districts regarding Community Use of Facilities

• Switzerland of Ohio Local School District Community Engagement Process

• Educational Specifications for the Ohio School for the Deaf and the Ohio State School for the Blind

• Austintown Local School District Visioning Process

• Eastern Gateway Community College Market Study & Focus Groups

• Washington State Community College Market Study

Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, VA

Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC) currently serves approximately 12,000 students. Over the past 10 years, enrollment has grown by approximately 9 percent. The Division operates 3 high schools, 4 middle schools, and 9 elementary schools. A new middle school opened for the 2018-19 school year.

FutureThink has worked each year with WJCC since 2006 providing enrollment projections. The projections are updated annually. While overall growth has been steady, some areas are growing more quickly and others have seen some decline. The projections are used to identify placement of teaching staff each year, the need for additional buildings in the long-term, and new building locations.

St. Brigid of Kildare School, OH

St. Brigid of Kildare School is a Catholic grade school in Dublin, OH serving grades PreK-8. Its current enrollment is approximately 650 students. It has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education twice.

FutureThink has provided a variety of educational planning services for St. Brigid of Kildare beginning in 2009. The first project involved space planning for new classrooms, music rooms, latchkey, and offices. For another, FutureThink developed a plan to maximize playground space while staying within the city’s zoning requirements.

More large scale projects included a capacity study to move to a full-day Kindergarten program, a school-wide visioning process to identify how to best meet 21st century learning skills in an environment built over 20 years ago, and renovation to the library/media center, science and technology labs as well as the creation of a maker space.

Wellesley Public Schools, MA

The Wellesley Public School District is a suburban district located just outside of Boston. It currently serves approximately 5,000 students. Over the past 10 years, enrollment has been relatively stable. The District operates 1 high school, 1 middle school, and 7 elementary schools.

FutureThink initially provided enrollment projections in 2016 as part of a comprehensive, district-wide facilities feasibility study. Tracy attended several committee meetings, some including the community at large, to discuss the impact of housing turnover, demolitions, and rebuilds on the projections. In 2019, FutureThink was contracted to update the enrollment projections in a continued effort to identify the potential for closing a school, building new schools, and renovating existing schools.

Dublin City Schools, OH

The Dublin City School District is a growing suburban district northwest of Columbus. Current enrollment is approximately 17,000 students. Over the past 10 years, enrollment has grown by over 18 percent. The District operates 3 high schools, 4 middle schools, 12 elementary schools, and a preschool. Two new elementary schools are opening in Fall 2020, and a new middle school is scheduled to open in Fall 2021.

FutureThink has worked each year with Dublin City Schools since 2015, initially developing enrollment projections and participating in a facility assessment and master planning process. The projections continue to be updated annually. Tracy also assisted in developing capacities, identifying options to address overcrowding, and redistricting elementary and middle school boundaries for the new schools.

State of Connecticut, DAS Office of School Construction & Grants Review

Connecticut’s Office of School Construction Grants & Review evaluates and processes school construction grant applications, creates the School Construction Priority List for review and approval by the legislative branch, issues grant commitments, process reimbursement payment requests, and compiles the triennial state-wide Condition of Facilities report.

FutureThink led a team which developed new School Construction Standards & Guidelines for the State, including space programs for various sizes and configurations of schools at each educational level, graphic and written descriptions of learning spaces, quality standards and guidelines for material finishes and system selections. The Standards & Guidelines allow flexibility in response to a District’s requirements and recognize the need for evolving learning environments. The Team also developed procedural guidelines to assist staff in reconciling District educational specifications and plans with the Standards & Guidelines.

The Team worked with a large cross-section of state administrators from a variety of agencies as well as school district superintendents, school business officials, and local architects.