The District is compiling a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) based on the questions we have received from stakeholders. We will continue to add to this list as necessary. In addition, please feel free to submit questions to Superintendent Kathi Powers at: [email protected].

The Tiger Legacy Project is an initiative to improve the facilities within the Twinsburg City School District. It began in 2016 with the development of the TCSD Comprehensive Strategic Plan. Action Teams comprised of a cross-section of community stakeholders gathered to develop the Strategic Plan.  The stakeholders comprised both internal and external audiences and focused on creating a plan that would move the District forward in the years to come.

From that work, the Conceptual Legacy Project was created.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 paused community engagement efforts, the Board of Education identified facilities planning as a primary focus in 2021. This led to community re-engagement and the renaming of the project to the Tiger Legacy Project in 2022.

The Board of Education reviewed a comprehensive report from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) in 2024, revealing that four (4) out of five (5) schools, excluding Twinsburg High School, have renovation costs nearing or exceeding 66% of the costs to build new facilities. According to the "2/3rds Rule," constructing new facilities may be more practical than continuing with costly repairs. Additionally, rising labor and material costs and urgent needs for athletic facility upgrades have made it crucial to address our facilities' needs now.

The key projects include:

There is no “zero cost” option. Continuing to patch and repair aging schools could impact the funds available for classroom needs. The comprehensive report from the OFCC highlighted the significant costs of maintaining current facilities versus the benefits of new construction.

Relocating Tiger Stadium to the campus at Twinsburg High School is necessary to make room available for the construction of the new elementary school. Relocating Tiger Stadium to the high school campus will also centralize our athletic facilities, making them more accessible for students and the community. This move will also optimize space and improve the functionality of our athletic programs.

Staff members will be engaged in the design process to ensure the new facilities effectively meet the needs of students.

Yes, the Board of Education currently owns the necessary land for the planned facilities improvements.

Once the Board of Education finalizes the scope of the project and necessary funding is secured, detailed plans and timelines will be developed. Construction timelines will depend on the availability of materials and labor.

Scenario #1:  New Grade 4 – 6 Building Option (Replaces Dodge)

Scenario #:2 New PK-6 Building Option (Replaces Wilcox, Bissell & Dodge)

Scenario 1: $75,000,000

Scenario 2: $100,000,000

Scenario 3: $125,000,000

To give a clearer picture of how these scenarios would impact local taxes, here’s an example:

For a home appraised at $200,000:

These estimates are based on a maximum term of 36 years with an estimated interest rate of 5%.

In order to make space available to construct the new elementary school, Tiger Stadium would be relocated to the campus of Twinsburg High School, in the area currently occupied by the boys’ soccer practice field and the 9th grade baseball field. The boys’ soccer practice field as well as the 9th grade baseball field would be relocated to the Dodge campus, once George G. Dodge Intermediate School is removed.  In the meantime, the boys’ soccer team will share the girls’ soccer practice field and the 9th grade baseball team will use the varsity baseball field.

Once Tiger Stadium is relocated, the construction of the elementary school will begin.  The girls’ softball field will be relocated to the Dodge campus, once George G. Dodge Intermediate School is removed.  In the meantime, the girls’ softball teams will share the field located on the front of the RB Chamberlin Middle School campus.

Once students are welcomed into the new elementary school, George G. Dodge Intermediate School would be removed, making way for the relocation of a new 9th grade baseball field, a new girls’ softball field with lights, a new soccer stadium with lights and stands, a new soccer practice field which will be used for both boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, renovation of the varsity baseball field, the construction of a new restroom/locker room/concession facility, and parking.

If the Board of Education determines that the new elementary school will house students in Preschool – Grade 6, Wilcox Primary School and Samuel Bissell Elementary School will also be removed and the land sold.  Funds raised through the sale of these properties would be returned to the Permanent Improvement Fund for other capital projects.

Students will remain in their current grade/building configuration until the construction of the new elementary school is completed.

Since the facilities assessment was initially completed in 2016 and throughout the entirety of this planning process, we have considered a variety of grade band configurations.  Per the facilities assessment most recently conducted by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), it is cost prohibitive to renovate Samuel Bissell Elementary School, thus, the focus is currently on the construction of a Preschool – grade 6 elementary school.

No, the Board of Education does not own property off Chamberlin Road.

No, due to the additional costs associated with land acquisition, this project will be constructed on property currently owned by the Board of Education.

Residency is a requirement for enrollment in our District. To that end, the Superintendent monitors residency and when alerted about families who may not be residents, she convenes residency hearings during which parents are required to produce appropriate residency documents in order for their children to remain enrolled in the District.

The building construction type will be finalized during the design process.  The OFCC’s enrollment study, as well as three (3) previous enrollment studies, indicates that the District’s enrollment will remain steady.

It would be appropriate for a large elementary school to have more than one (1) gym and more than one (1) cafeteria with an option for a large gathering space for events, however, these decisions will be finalized in the design process. The design process will engage many stakeholders so that the new elementary school meets the needs defined through that process.

No, as per the facilities assessment most recently conducted by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), it is cost prohibitive to renovate Wilcox Primary School and Samuel Bissell Elementary School, thus, the focus is currently on the construction of a Preschool – grade 6 elementary school.

Currently, we do not have adequate space at RBC to add grades 5 & 6 to the school’s enrollment.  Further, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s (OFCCs) findings do not support the renovation of the middle school.  The District could decide to renovate RBC, however, that renovation would not receive matching funds from the OFCC.

The fields in front of RBC are used for JV Baseball, RBC baseball, and RBC softball/JV softball. 

Yes, collaboration with the City of Twinsburg is ongoing and will be an important component of this project.  A traffic study will be conducted and the results of that study will be shared with City officials so that concerns regarding congestion, etc. can be addressed.

Even though the current plan under consideration includes an elementary school that houses students in Preschool – Grade 6, the administration will collaborate to ensure that events planned for grade bands are scheduled in a thoughtful, strategic manner so that families can enjoy the events with ease of parking in mind.

At this current time, the lawn in front of RB Chamberlin Middle School is not part of this project, however, should the need arise, that area can be used for parking.  Future considerations for additional parking in this area may occur.

It is our understanding that the lawn in front of RB Chamberlin is not stable (swamp below the lawn) and cannot sustain the construction of a large building upon it.

Yes, Westlake Elementary School is a Preschool – Grade 4 school.  We provided this school as an example of a school built with “houses” for grade bands.  Although not an exact match, the Westlake model provides insight into what our proposed elementary school may look like with grade banded “houses”.  The exact design of our new elementary school will be determined during the design process where the needs of each grade level of student, as related to this building project, will be considered.

The school’s Master Schedule will be developed based upon the new “house” concept of this proposed school.  Start and end times will be staggered.

No, it is our intention to develop the transportation routes based upon the new “house” concept of this proposed school.  It would not be our intention to mix grade bands between the “houses” unless they are naturally aligned (e.g. Kindergarten and first grade).

A Master Schedule will be developed for lunch periods and specials (Art, Music, PE).  It would not be our intention to mix grade bands between the “houses” unless they are naturally aligned (e.g. grades 2 and 3).

As enrollment studies conducted by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) and three (3) other organizations consistently indicate that the District’s enrollment will remain steady, class sizes will remain at an average of 20 – 24 students.

No, we have not considered a new upper level school as part of the Tiger Legacy Project.  We will continue to monitor the number of students who elect to take College Credit Plus courses off our high school campus.  At this point, that number has not greatly impacted course offerings at Twinsburg High School.  In the future, if it should, the District could determine it beneficial to move middle school students to the campus of Twinsburg High School.

The District will engage with the families who live on Ashdale and other surrounding areas to ensure concerns are addressed.

No, at this time we do not project staff reduction.

Although the plans have yet to be developed for the new stadium, it would be our intention to include multiple concessions stands to serve the public and to support concessions sales by our Booster groups.

Yes, District officials make safety and security a priority.  Secure portals, Welcome Centers, security cameras and fencing, adequate egress, School Resource Officers, administrative oversight, and other proven security measures are all a part of this plan.

Yes, it is important that we build back-up and redundancy into our systems.  This will be a priority for this project.

We know that the odor at the Dodge site is concerning.  We also know that those who use that site for athletic events will likely do so in the early mornings and late afternoons/evenings when the odor from the waste treatment plant is less bothersome.

The development of last year’s Expenditure Reduction Plan was not the result of mismanagement of the District’s funds but rather by legislative action that reduced our funding. The biggest loss was due to the total elimination of the Tangible Personal Property (TPP) Tax/Commercial Activities Tax (CAT) which resulted in the District losing millions in annual revenue. In Ohio, House Bill 66 (HB66) was the legislation that eliminated the tax businesses pay on Tangible Personal Property (TPP). The original legislation set forth that the State of Ohio would reimburse school districts for several years the amount of lost revenues. A tax once under local/county control had been eliminated and replaced by a State collected Commercial Activity Tax (CAT). The replacement CAT tax was also eliminated. The resulting loss of millions in annual revenue caused the fiscal challenges which led to the development of the Expenditure Reduction Plan and the reduction of staff members in the Spring of 2023.

If the Board of Education determines that a bond issue will be placed on the ballot and if the community supports this project, District officials will work to ensure that the funds for the Tiger Legacy Project are well managed and that the project is fully constructed within budget.

The new school will be LEED certified. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and LEED certification is a globally recognized rating system that recognizes buildings that are built or maintained to the highest standard of sustainability. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) created the system in 1998. 

LEED certification can apply to all building types, including new construction, interiors, operations and maintenance, and core and shell. To achieve certification, a building must implement green building practices that address areas such as carbon, energy, water usage, waste, transportation, materials, and health and indoor environmental quality. 

Through the building design process, all modern building and construction codes will be met. Once the facility is designed, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) will work in partnership with the District and the architect for the duration of the project to ensure compliance.  

Based upon the needs identified in the facilities assessment and within the annual budget constraints, the District maintains its facilities.  The Permanent Improvement Fund not only supports capital projects, but also the purchase of school buses, instructional materials, and technology.  Similar to your own home, the infrastructure of our buildings, continues to age. While we invest the Permanent Improvement Fund in repairs, there comes a time where we need to look at the best long-term solution.  Thus, the Tiger Legacy Project has been proposed.

The receipt of the OFCC’s contribution is based upon the funding level they receive from the State of Ohio.  Additionally, the District’s rank on the OFCC’s District Equity List will determine the point in which the District will receive the contribution.

Please contact the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) for the answer to this question.  Please visit the OFCC website at:  www.ofcc.ohio.gov

This is a locally controlled decision. In the meantime, please know that the District continues to be compliant with all health and safety codes.