Ohio Schools Facilities Commission

Berkshire Advisors completed a study of the Ohio School Facilities Commission sponsored by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation. This study assessed the effectiveness of existing Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) policies and practices from the perspective of those served and most impacted by them—Ohio communities and districts — and recommended modifications to current and new policies supported by research and experience to better serve districts and schools.

The central issue of this study was how the Ohio School Facilities Commission, a centralized authority, should support a primarily decentralized activity—the local planning, design, and construction of public schools.  Findings from this study addressed two fundamental questions: “What is the appropriate role of the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) in ensuring that all students in the state of Ohio attend public school in high quality public school facilities?” and “How should the OSFC’s statutory authority as well as its rules, policies, procedures, and practices be structured to fulfill this role?” A definition of “high quality school facilities,” and judgments about the OSFC’s appropriate role drove the study’s recommendations on how rules, policies, procedures, and practices should be structured.

In conducting this study, in addition to completing an in-depth analysis of all OSFC policies and procedures and working with a steering committee of KnowledgeWorks, OSFC and state of Ohio Department of Education leaders, visits to school districts across Ohio occurred that included tours of current and completed school construction/renovation, interviews and focus groups with school department and community leaders, and focus groups and interviews with OSFC construction and project managers and project architects.  Additionally a comprehensive survey was distributed to all school superintendents and principals in the State of Ohio and all construction managers and architects who had been involved with OSFC sponsored school construction projects.