Madison-Plains school levy defeated by wide margin; Granville and Northridge approved

Madison-Plains Local Schools voters appear to have rejected a levy proposal to build a new campus to replace the over a half-century-old campus there, according to unofficial results.

And Marysville Exempted Village School District may be facing a $9.6-million budget deficit after voters Tuesday also rejected what district officials say was a badly needed levy request, according to unofficial results.

Ohio election results: Greater Columbus area schools issues

Election results: Here's what Marysville schools plans to cut after levy failure

However, Granville Exempted Village Schools and Northridge Local School District were more fortunate, with voters approving renewal levies there, according to unofficial results.

In all, seven school districts in central Ohio had levies on the Tuesday primary ballot.

Here's how the school levies fared in Tuesday's primary/special election, according to unofficial results:

Madison-Plains voters reject new campus levy by large margin

Madison-Plains Local School District voters rejected the levy proposal to raise funds for a new school campus, according to unofficial election results. With all precincts reporting, the levy lost 56% to 44%.

The measure lost among the district's Franklin County voters in Pleasant Township, according to unofficial results.

The district sought voter approval of a 9.9-mill, 37-year property tax levy to fund the district's $63,047,000 local share of demolishing current buildings and constructing a new pre-kindergarten through high school complex, including career tech, on the current campus on Linson Road, west of Ohio 38 in Paint Township.

Madison-Plains — a district of about 1,100 students in the southern part of Madison County, the southwestern-most part of Pleasant Township in Franklin County and a small part of northern Fayette County — previously said to The Dispatch that it needs to replace the district's aging buildings, one of which is nearly 70 years old.

Madison-Plains Superintendent Chad Eisler told The Dispatch prior to the election that the current buildings have exhausted their usable life and need to be replaced. The K-6 elementary school was built in 1956 and has been in continuous use for 67 years. The 7-12 intermediate building was constructed in 1978.

On Tuesday night, Eisler expressed disappointment with the levy rejection.

"We will continue our efforts with regard to our buildings, and hope to win the community's support in the near future," Eisler said in an emailed statement.

The levy would have cost property owners $347 for each $100,000 of county appraised property value. If the measure had passed, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission would have contributed about $5.59 million toward the project.

Last November, voters narrowly approved a 2.5-mill permanent improvement renewal levy, which replaced a levy dating back to 1987, and is expected to generate an estimated $400,761 in annual revenue.

Board President Mark Mason told The Dispatch on Tuesday night that the district would be focusing on "engagement to get a feel for what the community would support" in terms of a future levy.

Marysville school levy failure may mean major deficit

Voters in Marysville Exempted Village Schools have rejected a five-year, 8.4-mill levy to cover what the district says is a looming $9,641,968 operating deficit, according to unofficial results.

Voters rejected the measure by a 56% to 44% margin with 100% of precincts reporting, according to unofficial results

The district, which has more than 5,100 students from Marysville and much of Union County, was seeking a levy where property owners would have paid $294 for every $100,000 of county appraised value.

Marysville Superintendent Diane Allen said the levy failure spelled immediate negative financial implications for the district.

"We are committed to working with the community to find a sustainable solution for our district's financial challenges," Allen said.

The district previously told The Dispatch that the budget shortfall was a result of state law phasing out a tax on the Honda and Scotts facilities that was a major revenue source for the district. Marysville schools had not asked for a levy increase in more than 15 years.

Granville schools 0.75% income-tax renewal approved

Voters in Granville Exempted Village Schools approved a five-year, income-tax renewal levy Tuesday, with a 55% to 45% margin, according to unofficial results from the Licking County Board of Elections.

The 0.75% all-income tax, which was first passed for five years in 2018, was set to expire Dec. 31. With the renewal, the rate stays the same for another five years with the term starting Jan. 1.

District Superintendent Jeff Brown said in an interview Tuesday night that the district takes the responsibility of taxpayer dollars seriously.

"With this passage, we will continue that fiscal responsibility, being fiscally prudent and transparent with the taxpayer dollars so that the entire community has confidence in the fiscal aspects of our school district," he said.

Here are the unofficial results of voting in all seven central Ohio school districts with levy requests on Tuesday's primary/special election ballot.

For results of municipal levies and referendum issues, candidate races and other ballot decisions, go to Dispatch.com.

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Election results: How central Ohio school levies fared with voters