Will Dublin City Schools turn a Cardinal Health building into a fourth high school?
DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) — Dublin City Schools is weighing whether to transform a central Ohio healthcare provider’s headquarters into a new high school for the district.
The school district signed a nonbinding letter of intent with Cardinal Health to assess the feasibility of buying the company’s west campus headquarters at 7200 Cardinal Place. The letter allows the district more than a year to determine if the building can be effectively configured to serve as a school.
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“During this time, district leaders will also be implementing several community engagement initiatives to determine how the purchase of Cardinal Health West aligns with the district’s long-term goals,” Dublin City Schools said in a news release. “One possibility is its conversion into a fourth high school.”
Dublin City Schools signed a letter of intent with Cardinal Health to assess the feasibility of buying the company’s west campus headquarters at 7200 Cardinal Place. (Franklin County Auditor’s Office) Dublin City Schools signed a letter of intent with Cardinal Health to assess the feasibility of buying the company’s west campus headquarters at 7200 Cardinal Place. (Franklin County Auditor’s Office)
The three-story building sits on more than 31 acres and offers enough space to accommodate the addition of an athletic stadium and gym. With projected enrollment growth expected to necessitate additional secondary space by 2030, the school district said the acquisition of Cardinal Health’s west campus could address this need.
Enrollment projection reports show the district will grow by 2,000 students in the next five years. Jerome High School, which just opened a 58,000-square-foot addition in August, is already near capacity and will be more than 1,000 students over capacity by 2030 if nothing changes, Dublin City Schools said.
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The district noted that while Dublin voters approved a $145 million bond issue and a 7.9 mill operating levy last November providing the funding needed to build a 15th elementary school, that is not enough to also build a new high school.
Due to the size and scope of a high school facility, Dublin City Schools estimates it could cost more than $150 million to build new. The school district said that’s why exploring the acquisition of Cardinal Health’s building makes sense.
“Converting office space leverages pre-existing infrastructure and amenities, reducing costs and providing significant savings for Dublin City Schools taxpayers,” the district said.
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