Ohioans believe that everyone in the community should be more involved with local schools, and that schools should be community resources offering programs and services beyond the traditional school hours. School levy support increases from 43% to 63% if the levy also provides a school that can be used as a multipurpose facility or a community center.


Key Findings
Survey Results


More than half of Ohio's schools are 50 years old or older. To remedy the situation, the state of Ohio has initiated a plan to spend more than $23 billion on new school construction over the next 12 years, allocating $10.2 billion to school construction, matched by $12.9 billion in local dollars. This investment presents an opportunity to create more than new classrooms. It's an opportunity to:

  • Re-engage community members in the planning of the new facilities and daily life of the schools
  • Foster new partnerships that serve both student needs and community needs
  • Infuse the local planning process with information about the impact of school facilities on learning outcomes to create innovative models
  • Establish a K-12 education system in Ohio that provides students with a unique and compelling learning environment that is sustainable over the years to come
In the next decade, many Ohio voters will be asked to consider local levies to raise the required local matches for state facilities funds. Work in this issue area will engage communities in understanding the potential benefits of their dollars and participation. Many communities in Ohio and around the United States have made use of learning research and community collaborations to create exciting and successful schools that Ohioans need to know about to gain support for local investments and to develop their own solutions. With access to research information and to the experiences of other communities around the state and the nation, voters and school districts will make better decisions.


Key Findings
 Compared to other community organizations such as hospitals or homeless shelters, survey respondents expressed the most interest in volunteering at local public schools. Although 87% agree that "everyone in the community should be more involved with local public schools," many may not be aware of volunteer opportunities. When asked what they would be willing to do to help improve their local schools (an open-ended question), 22% said they didn't know how they could help.

When asked about specific ways they might support local public schools, most expressed at least some willingness to participate in school activities. For example, 82% were willing to attend an art or athletic event, 74% said they might vote for a local levy, 64% said they might participate in a school planning process, and 62% said they might tutor a child. However, although 86% felt members of the community should be able to participate in the planning process for a new school, only 46% indicated they would be willing to participate themselves. In addition, support for public schools was generally limited to respondents' own districts; 62% said they were not willing to volunteer or donate money to a school outside their district.

There seemed to be a good deal of support for the idea of locating additional community resources and services in local school facilities. For example, when asked if they would support an increase in property taxes to increase school funding, about 57% indicated they would support such an initiative. Despite a strong belief that modern school facilities contribute to better education, however, there was less support for additional funding to build a new school. Although 80% agreed up-to-date facilities contribute to better education, only 43% indicated they would support an increase in property taxes to build a new school. Support for a new school building increased, however, when the facility was presented as a multipurpose building; when asked if they would support a levy for a new school building that would also be a multipurpose facility or community center, 63% of survey respondents indicated they would support it. Thus, presenting a new school as a "center for the community" increased public support.

Regarding community use of school facilities, 84% supported community use of facilities during afternoon, evening and weekend hours for activities like health clinics, recreation activities, and parenting and adult education classes. In addition, 72% agreed that community services for adults like adult fitness, community activities and parenting classes should be located and provided within local public schools. Seventy-nine percent agreed that schools should offer mental health services for students, and 65% agreed that community social services for children like health services, dental services and after-school programs should be located and provided within local public schools.

Traditionally, local school facilities have not functioned as the center of local communities. With limited hours of operation and few community services or events currently located in schools, most school facilities are not often used evenings and weekends. Survey respondents, however, expressed significant interest in broadening the use of these facilities. Increasing the use of school facilities would not only provide additional community resources, but may also have the added benefit of getting the community more involved in participating in and improving local schools.








K-12 Reform/College Access School Facilities Planning & Design Education Needs of Children in Substitute Care Early Childhood Literacy Postsecondary Education Low-Wage Workers