New Berkshire School Set to Open in Fall of 2021
By: Morgan Dunlop
The new Berkshire Local School is set to open on the Kent State Geauga campus in the Fall of 2021 and the Superintendent of Berkshire Local Schools, John Stoddard says the school has “already seen an increase in enrollment.”
“I am happy to report that we have already seen an increase in enrollment,” said Stoddard. “We really are just in the early planning stages. Our excitement level could not be any higher for this. WE are very excited about what the future holds for this project.”
The school is a Per-K through 12 school which will house an athletic facility that will be utilized by Kent State Geauga students.
The project in part will be funded by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and by the school district itself.
55 percent of the $41.6 million-dollar project will come from the OFCC and the other 45 percent will come from the school district and donations.
Michael Bruder, Executive Director of The Office of the University Architect, states that a project of this scale must first get approved by the Board of Trustees.
“Anything over $1 Million must get approved by the Board of Trustees,” said Bruder. “They approve the funding for it and then we complete the full design of the building and then we get it built.”
Kent State Board of Trustees member Shawn Riley is excited from the project and the is proud of the leadership at the district because it has been “wonderful.”
“Over the past few years I have gotten to know intimately the Berkshire School District,” said Riley. “This partnership on its own has been remarkable.”
Projects on this large scale are not easy and do not happen “overnight,” according to James Bowling, the Superintendent of Engineering for the City of Kent, Ohio.
“Once you have acquired all the land and have the funding in place and have the design done, then you have bit out the work, those projects don’t get turned around overnight.” said Bowling.
All of that has been done, the only part left is for the actual construction of the building to take place which is expected to begin in spring of 2019.
The ground lease deal partnership between Berkshire Local Schools and Kent State University will be for the next 99 years.