Oak Hills Local School District students headed back to class Thursday morning on Cincinnati's west side, walking into buildings that are in the middle of the biggest construction push the district has seen in decades. At Oak Hills High School, which opened in 1959 and is now 67 years old, crews spent the summer installing air ducts throughout the building as part of a long-awaited air conditioning project. Principal Brian Conners said the school was ready for students despite the extensive construction happening around them.
The work is being funded by a $68.5 million bond that Hamilton County voters approved in November 2025, according to official results from the Hamilton County Board of Elections, which showed the measure, known as Issue 31, passing with 66.8% of the vote and 10,669 ballots in favor. The bond authorizes the district to borrow the principal amount over a 37-year repayment period. As reported by WLWT, the money is paying for sweeping upgrades across the district, including the air conditioning system now taking shape at the high school, which is expected to be fully operational by the 2027-28 school year.
What made the bond politically palatable is that it will not raise anyone's tax bill. The $68.5 million issue was structured to replace a 1997 bond for Rapid Run Middle School that expired in December 2025, meaning taxpayers keep paying the same 2.05-mill property tax rate rather than absorbing a new levy, per Oak Hills Local School District. On top of the local bond dollars, the district's master facilities project is partnered with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, which is projected to kick in up to $70 million in state matching funds covering more than half of total construction costs.
New Schools Replacing Century-Old Buildings
The bond will fund construction of a new Springmyer Elementary and a new Delhi Middle School, the latter replacing a building the district says is 100 years old. A second phase will bring a new Bridgetown Middle School. Before the bond passed, Bridgetown Middle, Delhi Middle, and Springmyer Elementary were all between 85 and 100 years old, driving up maintenance costs and creating space problems the district says a modern layout can solve. Construction is happening on the existing campus properties, so students will stay in their current buildings until the new facilities are finished.
Oak Hills Local School District serves Delhi Township and Green Township, educating roughly 7,485 students across nine campuses, with the high school alone enrolling more than 2,500 students — one of the largest public high school populations in Greater Cincinnati. Superintendent Dan Beckenhaupt took office in July 2025 after 17 years in district leadership, including stints as principal of Delhi Middle School and as the district's Director of Human Resources. He held public forums last fall to walk residents through the bond plan before the vote.
Freshmen Orientation and a New School-Year Theme
Conners welcomed nearly 600 freshmen from the Class of 2030 to Oak Hills High School during orientation, which included schedule walkthroughs, teacher introductions, and campus familiarization, according to WLWT's report. He encouraged the incoming students to get involved in sports, clubs, and community service as they start their high school careers. The school has adopted the theme “Make Someone Else's Day” for the 2026-27 school year, which Conners said is meant to encourage Highlanders to look out for one another.
The return to class also lands alongside a new statewide rule. A uniform Ohio law taking effect this year requires kindergarten students to turn five years old on or before their district's first day of school, setting Thursday, August 20, as the eligibility cutoff for Oak Hills. The legislation replaced a patchwork of differing entry-age cutoffs that previously varied district by district across Ohio.
Staffing Up and a Financial Stamp of Approval
The district added 17 new certified staff members ahead of the school year, with the new hires joining faculties just before students returned. The growth in staff comes as the district juggles its largest capital program in recent memory. Oak Hills also recently received the Auditor of State Award with Distinction from the Ohio Auditor of State, recognizing excellence in annual financial reporting and statutory compliance as the district manages the multi-million-dollar construction effort.
The west side campuses have seen their share of disruptions in recent years. Hoodline previously reported on a water main break that shut the school during subzero temperatures, a SWAT standoff near the high school that led to canceled after-school activities, and a death investigation that triggered precautionary soft lockdowns at both the high school and Dulles Elementary. Against that backdrop, district officials are framing this year's construction and new-building plans as a longer-term fix aimed at modernizing facilities that have served generations of west side families.
