Election 2023: Central Ohio voters mixed on regional school levies

Although voters in Columbus City Schools approved their 7.7-mill levy on Tuesday, the results were mixed for several other suburban Franklin County and central Ohio school districts asking for school funding measures.

The reasons for the levy and bond requests varied by district, ranging from money officials say is needed for basic operating expenses to replacing aging school facilities.

Below are the results of school levy requests in central Ohio (not including Columbus City Schools). For more updates on local school board races and other election results, visit The Dispatch's election center at dispatch.com.

Canal Winchester voters approve $6.8-million substitute levy

Voters approved Canal Winchester Local Schools' $6.8-million substitute levy request by 54% to 45%, according to unofficial results Tuesday night.

In 2019, voters in Canal Winchester Local Schools, which is located in both Franklin and Fairfield counties, widely approved a five-year, 12.59-mill operating levy, which cost property owners $386 annually per $100,000 of the county's appraised value.

The new substitution levy will cost property owners slightly less at 10.2 mills, or $357 for each $100,000 of appraised value. The measure is expected to raise $6.8 million annually.

Dublin schools' bond issue and permanent levy narrowly passes

Dublin City Schools is celebrating what it acknowledges was a narrow victory for the district's $145-million, 30-year bond and 7.9-mill permanent levy, according to unofficials results and the district's website Wednesday afternoon.

Dublin City Schools, which serves students in Franklin, Union and Delaware counties, asked voters to approve the bond issue to build a new elementary school and the permanent levy to fund operating costs in the district.

Election results were too close to call Tuesday night as votes from the three counties were tallied. But on Wednesday, with 100% of the unofficial, still uncertified election results in, the district shared on Facebook and in a newsletter to voters that it was "optimistically sharing that the levy has been accepted."

"After tallying votes from our three counties, Issue 12 — the district's levy and bond issue — appears to have passed by a narrow margin of 229 votes, with 50.3% FOR and 49.6% against," the district said.

Aaron Sellers, a spokesman for the Franklin County Board of Elections, said Wednesday afternoon that the board still had mail-in and provisional ballots to count, but the unofficial vote total in favor of the measure was outside of the 0.5% automatic recount requirement.

"We recognize the sacrifices that some have made to make this outcome possible. Words cannot express the gratitude that we feel to our community and taxpayers for passing Issue 12," the district said on its website.

Property owners in the Dublin school district would have to pay an additional $276.50 in property taxes for each $100,000 of the county's appraised value before the new 2023 Franklin County valuations.

The district warned on its website before Election Day that a levy failure may mean increased class sizes, a scaling back of school trips and hiring freezes for administrative positions.

Fairbanks Local voters approve continuing income tax but reject new property tax levy and bond issue

Voters in Fairbanks Local School District approved the district's request for a continuing income tax by 57% to 43%, but rejected a proposed new property tax levy and bond issue by 54% to 46%, according to early unofficial results.

The district — which serves most of the southern third of Union County and the northwest corner of Madison County — had two issues on the November ballot to help fund the next phase of its master facilities plan, which the district says requires a total of $34 million to solve issues of capacity, curriculum and capital improvements in the district.

The first ballot issue is a renewal of the 0.25% income tax that residents already pay. That measure costs $250 in income taxes for those earning $100,000 per year.

The second ballot issue proposed an additional 0.25% income tax for a total of 0.50% or a half-percent, plus 1.85 mills in new property taxes. The income tax and property tax increases were expected to generate a combined $23 million over their 30-year terms.

Fairbanks Local Schools Superintendent Adham Schirg told district residents in an email Wednesday that it will be able to finance $11 million to begin Phase II of its master facility plan with the renewal levy passage.

"With the funds provided by the tax levy, our community will continue to provide our students with many opportunities," Shirg said. "Our board of education, staff, Facility Task Force members, and partners will continue working together to address where these funds will most effectively be used for our schools and prioritize areas of the facility plan. We will update everyone with a timeline of activities as well as invite feedback as we plan for our next steps."

If the property tax levy and bond issue were approved, property owners would have paid $64.75 annually for every $100,000 of the county's assessed property value.

Madison-Plains voters reject district's ask for 7.5-mill bond levy

Madison-Plains Local School District voters rejected the districts levy request once again — this time by an even larger margin.

Voters rejected the district's request for a 7.5-mill bond to raise $55 million to build a new school campus by 60% to 40%, according to unofficial results Tuesday. This is the second time this year Madison-Plains failed to pass a school levy.

Madison-Plains Local Schools Superintendent Chad Eisler said that though the district is disappointed with the results, "we understand the impact of the looming property tax increase due to the triennial update in Madison County and what that means for our community and are not surprised by the outcome.

"As a District, we will take some time to reflect on this result and determine our next steps forward," Eisler said. "The need to address the District’s facilities remains. We will continue our work to pursue our School District's mission as a partnership of rural, agricultural communities striving to achieve excellence through quality educational resources to maximize student success."

The district, which serves nearly the entire southern half of Madison County, wants to demolish its current aging school buildings and construct a new pre-kindergarten through high school complex, including career tech, on its campus on Linson Road west of Ohio 38 in Paint Township.

If passed, the bond would have raised more than $55 million and cost property owners $263 per $100,000 of assessed value.

In May, the district had sought voter approval of a 9.9-mill, 37-year property tax levy to fund the district's $63,047,000 local share of the project. Voters rejected that measure 56% to 44%, sending the district to reassess and put a smaller ask on the November ballot.

Other central Ohio school levy requests

• Voters of Groveport Madison Local School District in southeastern Franklin County narrowly approved a 6.68-mill permanent renewal levy for operating costs by 51% to 49%, according to unofficial results.

• Madison County voters in London City Schools approved a renewal of its five-year, 1% income tax that funds 20% of district operations and generates over $4 million annually by 51% to 49%, according to unofficial results.

• North Fork Local District voters rejected a $58-million, 37-year bond issue for constructing new school buildings and renovating and improving existing buildings by 60% to 40%, according to early unofficial results.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Election 2023: Central Ohio voters mixed on school levies