Our Plan
To prepare for the future of the Aurora City Schools’ facilities, the district embarked on a master plan project to understand the long-term needs of their buildings. The goal was to create a plan that addresses age and capacity concerns for the next generation of Aurora Greenmen. These planning efforts ensure that students have access to quality educational environments and that the district makes the best possible investment of community funds.
Why Now?
In 2022, prompted by aging building infrastructure, the school district surveyed 1,215 families on whether they felt it was necessary to pursue new buildings in the next 5 years. Over 75% felt this was necessary with 43% indicating a new high school should be explored and 22% felt a new K-3 or PreK-2 should be addressed.
Currently, Aurora City Schools have available approximately $350,000 from their annual budget to address facility issues. These issues are prioritized according to the greatest need. As buildings age and require more maintenance, this amount becomes insufficient to satisfy the needs of each building. Specifically, the 100-year-old Craddock Elementary School is the oldest building in the district. In order to update it to comply with the Ohio School Design Manual and the most recent state code regulations, it would take $20,890,124 in updates just to bring that school up to current design codes.
The State of Ohio recommends completely replacing a school when its renovation cost exceeds 66% of the cost of building a new school of the same size. Currently, Craddock ES is over 85% of this percentage.
Since February 2023, the district worked with ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) to perform facility assessments on the district’s buildings along with educational programming exercises to understand each building’s current conditions and the future educational needs in the district. During this time, they also engaged with district teachers, administrators, parents, and community members incorporating their feedback into the plan.
From community engagement meetings, and conversations with residents, staff, and the administration, it was clear that focusing on a new high school and renovating the other buildings was preferred. This way Craddock ES can be taken offline.
In June of 2024, after months of consideration, the Board of Education adopted the district’s “Green” master plan option.
Our Plan Includes:
A new 274,000 SF, 9-12 high school with a new weight room and auditorium.
Renovations and enhancements to other district buildings, which include the existing high school becoming a 6-8 middle school and board office, Harmon becoming an intermediate school for grades 3-5, Leighton becoming a PreK, 1, 2, and Miller ES becoming a Kindergarten building. This arrangement will provide room for future growth in each of these buildings.
2 turf fields at Harmon, demolition, and replacement of asphalt surfaces at all the schools, improvements to the existing mechanical systems at the current HS, and community walking/jogging paths around the campus.
Demolition of Craddock Elementary School.
Why Include a High School?
To alleviate student capacity concerns for the existing school while considering future growth in the community.
A high school is seen as a long-term solution to the growth of our community while addressing building and space needs in each of our existing buildings.
The high school is the most commonly used and visited building in our district. A new school can provide state-of-the-art facilities for students while serving as a centerpiece for the Aurora Community. The new gyms, athletic fields, and Performing Arts Center will support the diverse athletic, arts, and theatre programs offered.
From a facilities standpoint, a new high school would provide a greater return on our investment than simply building a single elementary school to replace Craddock ES.
A Comprehensive View of the Plan:
Aurora High School Animation_V7.mp4A New 9-12 Aurora High School
This new 274,000 SF school can host 1,300 students and includes enough classroom space for future community expansion
The school features flexible learning areas, technology, security features, and other amenities to support modern educational instruction
The new school is located on the Aurora Campus, adjacent to the stadium for easy access by athletic programs, and includes a new weight room
It contains a new 650 seats auditorium to support the performing arts
Aurora Middle School (Grades 6-8 move into the renovated existing high school)
New entrances for the relocated Board of Education
Convert existing spaces into a new Maker Space, staff lunch/workroom, and additional classroom
Renovations to the existing auditorium to create an "Aurora Theater"
Repurpose the existing weight room into a multi-purpose space for the school and community
Install community walking paths around the Greenmen campus
Repave the high school parking lot and portions of Greenmen Way
Harmon Intermediate (Grades 3-5 move into this building)
Remove the temporary walls in the building and replace them with permanent walls for better acoustic properties and room division
Reconfigure the existing Library for additional classroom spaces
Update the restrooms from their original construction
Convert and renovate existing spaces to improve the choir room, create storage areas, and additional academic spaces.
Install 2 new turf fields adjacent to the school for school and community use
Repave parking lot and portions of Greenmen Way
Leighton Elementary (PreK, Grades 1 & 2 building)
Install a new PreK playground (in the current trailer location)
Add PreK size common restrooms
Remove lockers and replace them with "cubbies" for age-appropriate storage
Convert and renovate spaces to create a new classroom and storage area and a staff lunch/workspace
Adaptation of the band room into Occupational Therapy / Physical Therapy service room
Replace the Chiller & Boilers in the school for the longevity of the infrastructure
Repave the parking lot and portions of Greenmen Way
Miller Elementary (Only a Kindergarten building)
Expand the playground area for kindergarten students
Create new spaces for Speech & Reading Specialists, a sensory room, a staff lunch/work area, and an office for a school counselor
Update windows and select doors throughout the building
Repave the parking lot and portions of Greenmen Way
Aurora Greenmen Campus:
Financial Information and Details
The project will be funded by a ballot issue anticipated for November 2024, with a total project amount of $136,356,398.
Aurora City Schools would qualify for up to a 13% anticipated future credit from the OFCC after the high school is completed.
The new high school would be completed in approximately 4 years, with renovations to the existing buildings beginning afterward. The K-5 students would then move in the fall of the following year.
In November of 2023, the school district passed an Operations Levy. This funding is used for the daily operations of the schools and is not connected to the construction of the building project.
The bond issue is estimated to cost $265 per year for each $100,000 of a property's value.
According to data compiled by Cleveland Magazine's “Best Places to Live” 2024 pp. on 64 Vital Stats, Aurora remains a community that provides a high educational value while still ranking lower for overall property taxes.
The plan identified was designed to address the aging infrastructure in the district along with capacity concerns, while also meeting the needs of the community stakeholders, creating a central academic campus that provides space for future educational and community opportunities.
