More than half a dozen central Ohio school districts are asking voters to pass levies or bond issues in November.
The districts include Bexley, Grandview Heights, Groveport Madison, New Albany, Reynoldsburg, Westerville and Hilliard.
Hilliard
Hilliard residents will see a combined levy and bond issue on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The 6.9-mill operating levy is estimated to cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 about $242 per year. Hilliard last asked voters for an operating levy eight years ago. Superintendent David Stewart said at the time, the district made a four-year promise to stay off the ballot, which it was able to stretch to eight years.
“Which, in the state of Ohio for districts similar to us, it’s more common. The districts are on the ballot every three to four years, so stretching it to eight is somewhat unusual,” Stewart said.
The bond issue, which will appear on the ballot as 1.84 mills, would generate $142 million for the district to build and renovate facilities. Stewart said that would fund Phase 1 of the district’s master facility plan.
That includes building a new Brown Elementary and converting the current Brown school into a third 6th-grade building. The plan also calls for complete rebuilds of Ridgewood and Beacon elementary schools, investments in athletic and performing arts facilities, the addition of a second pre-school center, and district-wide safety improvements, Stewart said.
Stewart said the bond issue is not in reaction to district growth.
“The need for the bond issue and the $142 million worth of construction in that bond issue is really driven by aging facilities,” he said.
He said the district is also retiring 1.84 mills of bond debt. The new bond issue would replace that, meaning property owners wouldn’t see a change in what they’re paying on that front, Stewart explained.
Westerville
Westerville City Schools has also placed a combined levy and bond issue on the ballot.
A 4.9-mill levy would generate about $20.8 million for district operations. District Treasurer Nicole Marshall has said the funding is needed because of changes in state law, pandemic-era federal funding expiring, and cuts in state funding, as well as an increase in doing business.
The district is also asking for a $140 million bond issue, which will appear as 1.66 mills on the ballot. That will also replace an expiring bond millage, meaning it will not appear as new millage for property owners.
The levy and bond issue together will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $230, though the district reports that $58 of that will be offset by the expiring bond debt.
The bond issue is set to fund the next phase of Westerville City Schools’ facilities master plan, which includes repairs and renovations to four of the district’s oldest schools. Cherrington Elementary, Huber Ridge Elementary, Blendon Middle School and Walnut Springs Middle School were all built in the 1960s and need upgrades, according to the district.
The bond would also fund the construction of extra pre-school classrooms at the district’s Early Learning Center, improvements to performing arts facilities, playground and parking lot repairs and security improvements.
Bexley
Bexley voters are being asked to approve a levy that would collect 5 mills in its first year in 2025, followed by an additional 2.5-mill increase each year until 2029. By the end of the five-year period, the levy would collect 15 mills.
The Committee for Bexley Excellence reports that the levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $175 a year in the first year and an additional $88 a year the following four years. That breaks down to about $15 per month in the first year and an additional $7 per month afterwards.
If the levy fails, the district will consider cutting staff, according to a levy fact sheet. About 75% of the district’s spending goes to salaries and benefits for teachers and staff, which is common for school districts.
Bexley voters last approved a school levy in 2019.
Grandview Heights
Grandview Heights City School District is asking voters to approve a $69.5 million bond issue, which will appear on the ballot as 6.95 mills. It’ll cost property owners about $243 for each $100,000 of tax valuation.
Grandview Heights Schools plans to use about $52.2 million of that money to build a new Stevenson Elementary School. The school was built in 1922 and has frequent maintenance problems as well as technological limitations, according to the district.
The district spent $275,000 on safety, security and accessibility upgrades to Stevenston Elementary School in 2020. The district said those changes were necessary to keep the building in use for the past several years.
The other $17.3 million of the proposed bond issue will be for improvements to the K-12 athletic complex, including replacing home and visitor bleachers and building new, accessible restrooms, locker rooms and concession facilities.
The district said it does not anticipate asking for an operating levy until at least 2028. It last asked for a 1-mill levy in 2018.
New Albany
New Albany voters can expect to see a $135 million bond issue, which will appear as 4.46 mills on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The money would fund two phases of projects under the New Albany-Plain Local Schools campus master plan.
Between 2025 and 2028 the district wants to build a new elementary school to serve around 1,200 students in all-day kindergarten and 1st and 2nd grade. It also wants to renovate the high and middle schools, and the middle school stadium.
In the second phase, which is set to conclude in 2031, the district wants to build a fine arts hub for 6th through 12th grades. It also plans other renovations and expansions.
The district said property owners who have a special assessment through New Albany Community Authority’s Community Design Charge will see a small decrease in what they’re paying. Those who have not been paying that special assessment would see a tax increase of about $51 a year per $100,000 of home valuation.
Reynoldsburg
Reynoldsburg City Schools last asked voters for a levy in 2010. Now the district is asking for a five-year 6.65-mill levy that would generate $8.5 million per year for operations.
The district said it has started spending more money than it’s bringing in.
The levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $233 a year.
Groveport Madison
Groveport Madison’s bond issue asks voters to approve $78,305,000 to build and furnish three new middle schools for 5th to 8th grades and to build an addition to Groveport Madison High School.
The 2.44-mill bond issue will cost owners of a home valued at $100,000 around $85 a year.