“We’ve just entered the schematic design phase, with design development set to begin in August,” said Adam Marcum, spokesman for Monroe Schools. “That is expected to last until at least January (2026) with construction beginning sometime in the spring or summer of 2026.”
That is “exciting news” Monroe Schools Superintendent Robert Buskirk said during a recent school board meeting introducing an official with the construction firm.
During the board meeting, Robertson Vice President Jeremy Johnson told members his company has built 109 school buildings for 42 different districts in Ohio.
Preliminary plans call for the new high school building to be built in the currently empty southeast corner of Monroe’s school campus on Yankee Road. The campus houses grades 2-12 in a single, three-winged school complex.
Marum said “just before the school year ended, some of our high school staff members traveled to neighboring districts for building tours, similar to how our high school student focus group did back in March.”
“Our architect firm (Fanning Howey) also met with students following their visit to formally capture their feedback on the buildings they visited.”
Site preparation and early construction are scheduled to begin in May 2026 with the high school largely completed by June 2028 in time for classes opening in August for the 2028-2029 school year, according to planning documents provided by Monroe school officials.
Monroe Schools is one of Butler County’s fastest growing districts and has seen its student population nearly double since 2004 with increasingly crowded classrooms in recent years.
The enrollment boom prompted school officials to launch a classroom expansion project this spring to convert the middle school gym into two stories of new classrooms.
After years of delays, Monroe’s efforts to make progress toward a new high school were green-lighted by voters’ approval of a 3.49-mill tax bond issue in November to cover a major portion of the design and construction costs.
The state — through Monroe’s partnership with the OFCC — will now provide $25.36 million of the new high school’s $62.10 million projected price tag.
The remaining amount will be provided local revenue generated by the 3.49-mill tax bond issue.
Monroe’s new 3.49-mill rate – which will not begin to be collected until 2029 – will translate to $122 annually per $100,000 home when it starts, or slightly less than the current 3.50-mills it will replace that year, said district officials.
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