West Chester Township and Liberty Township homeowners would pay no more in property taxes under a $223 million school bond issue headed to the November 3, 2026, ballot.
The Lakota Board of Education voted unanimously at its June 9 meeting to place the 37-year replacement bond before voters. The measure would fund the first phase of the district's Master Facilities Plan, expanding and renovating buildings for grades 6 through 12 and constructing four new elementary schools.
The 2.20-mill bond replaces an existing 2.23-mill levy that expires at the end of 2028. Collections on the new bond would not begin until January 1, 2029, meaning the annual cost to homeowners stays flat at roughly $77 per $100,000 of home value, according to district records.
A scaled-back plan after 2025 defeat
Lakota voters rejected a larger bond issue in November 2025. That proposal carried a 4.99-mill rate, would have raised $506.4 million, and called for demolishing 10 buildings and constructing six new ones.
Board member Benjamin Nguyen, the board's youngest member and a former student at West Freshman Campus, voted against placing that 2025 measure on the ballot. He said enrollment projections used to justify the earlier plan have since been revised downward by 20%.
"I remember campaigning last year. I said that we could probably get a plan for under $250 million, and I'm very proud of the plan the board has been working towards," Nguyen said.
The full project cost is estimated at $300 million, according to district planning documents. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission would contribute $77 million through its 33% co-funding program for eligible construction, leaving $223 million as the local share funded by the bond. District documents presented at the board's May 20 meeting noted the state indicated those co-funds could be available far sooner than the typical eight-to-10-year wait for OFCC participation.
What the bond would build
The plan calls for additions to East Freshman Campus (about 127,000 square feet), Plains Junior High (about 130,000 square feet), and both Lakota East and Lakota West high schools (about 143,000 square feet combined). West Freshman Campus, Creekside, Ridge Junior and Adena Elementary would close, dropping the district from 21 buildings to 18.
Under the faster construction timeline reviewed by the board on April 13, design would begin in November 2026, construction in June 2027, and new buildings would open by August 2029.
The district's K-5 classrooms have 27 or more students, with some exceeding 30. The revised grade-band structure aims for 21 to 24 students per class in elementary grades.
What's next
Lakota Treasurer Adam Zink told the Journal-News the district is "at a critical juncture" with its facilities. The district has not placed a bond issue on the ballot since 2005.
Lakota plans to hold community information sessions before the November 3 vote. Specific dates have not been announced; the district said it will share them on its website, social media pages and through ParentSquare notifications.
Lakota Local Schools serves approximately 17,000 students across West Chester Township and Liberty Township.
