Central Ohio voters reject Olentangy, other area school levies

Olentangy Local Schools and five other central Ohio school districts seeking levies for new buildings got strong rejections from voters in Tuesday's primary election, according to unofficial results.

Olentangy, Heath City Schools, Fairbanks Local Schools, Madison-Plains Local Schools, North Fork Local Schools and Teays Valley Local Schools all had issues on the ballot seeking to renovate and expand existing buildings or construct new ones entirely. None appeared to have passed.

Olentangy Local Schools levy, bond package fails by wide margin

Voters rejected an Olentangy Local School District levy Tuesday that would construct five new school buildings, according to final unofficial results. With all precincts reporting, 63.35% were against the levy package with 36.65% in favor.

The levy would have helped pay for new school buildings: the district's fifth high school, seventh middle school, and 18th, 19th and 20th elementary schools as the district continues to experience meteoric growth.

The 4.25-mill levy package sought by the district was actually two issues: The first, a 3-mill levy, would have brought in $19 million a year for operating costs such as staff salaries. The second part, a 1.25-mill permanent improvement levy, would have generated $7.9 million a year toward maintenance, repair and upkeep of facilities. The levies would cost homeowners an additional $148.75 per $100,000 of a person's county appraised property value.

It also would have authorized a ‘no additional millage’ bond package for the district to seek up to $350,000,000 in bond proceeds to construct new facilities.

Superintendent Todd Meyer told The Dispatch earlier in the day Tuesday before the package failed that district officials thought they'd "done a really good job in informing the community about the facts of this levy."

The 2024 ballot issue for the district came after the Delaware County auditor's office reappraised properties in the fastest growing county in Ohio, The Dispatch previously reported, but district officials said residents could only expect a 3 to 5% tax increase from the reappraisal.

Meyer said a levy failure would mean class size increases across the district.

Olentangy is now the fourth largest school district in the state, with 23,272 students in grades K-12, trailing just Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland. As district continues to project growth, Meyer said the buildings need to be there to meet demand.

"We need facilities to accommodate that growth," Meyer said. "Because it will continue to come."

Heath City Schools levy falls

Heath City Schools in Licking County has failed to pass its levy package, according to final unofficial results. With all precincts reporting, 61.5% of voters rejected the levy with 38.5% voting in favor.

The district was asking voters to approve a 5.3-mill bond issue and a 4.75-mill levy to build a new elementary school on the current Stevenson Elementary School property on Cynthia Street and to renovate, improve, and expand current schools. If approved by voters, it would cost an additional $166 for each $100,000 of county auditor appraised value.

Fairbanks Local Schools levy fails

An income tax and property tax levy proposed for the Fairbanks Local School District in Union and Madison counties was rejected by voters Tuesday. With all precincts reporting, the issue lost with 55.29% voting against it, according to unofficial results.

The district asked voters to approve a 0.25% income tax hike and a 1.85-mill property tax to raise $23 million to complete renovating the shared middle and high school building, adding 19,000 square feet to the front of the building, a 12,000-square-foot gymnasium and other work.

Madison-Plains Local Schools bond issue again fails

A 5.4-mill bond issue sought by Madison-Plains Local Schools that would have raised $55.36 million to build a pre-K though grade 12 building on the current campus to replace its existing aging buildings was again rejected by district voters, according to unofficial results. With all precincts reporting, 66.3% of primary voters rejected the measure and 37.7% of voters were in favor.

The district, located largely in Madison County but partially in Franklin County, had lost in a previous try in November. If approved, it would have cost homeowners an additional $189 in property taxes for each $100,000 of county appraised value.

North Fork Local Schools bond issue rejected again

North Fork Local Schools again failed to gain voter approval for its bond issue, according to unofficial results. With all precincts reporting, 62.5% of voters rejected the levy with 37.4% voting in favor.

The 7.1-mill bond issue proposed by North Fork would have raised $58 million for a new middle school building, as well as funds for renovating, improving and expanding existing schools in the district, which is located in Licking and Knox counties.

If it were approved by voters, the issue would cost property owners an additional $249 per $100,000 of their county auditor's appraised value in the first year and $185 per $100,000 starting in the second year.

Teays Valley Local Schools levy fails

The Teays Valley Local School District, centered in northeast Pickaway County but which includes parts of Franklin and Fairfield counties, also saw its levy fail. With all precincts reporting, the levy has 66.1% voting against the measure with 33.9% in support, according to unofficial results.

The district asked voters to approve a 5.3-mill bond issue to raise more than $96.5 million to construct new intermediate schools and make improvements to others. If approved by voters, the measure would cost property owners $187 for each $100,000 of their county auditor's appraised value

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio voters reject Olentangy, other school levies