Successful Olentangy levy would go toward new high and middle schools, three elementaries

Olentangy schools officials say the ceaseless growth in Delaware County is the impetus behind the 4.25-mill levy voters will see on March 19.

That money would help pay for new school buildings: the district's fifth high school, seventh middle school, and 18th, 19th and 20th elementary schools.

The 2024 ballot issue is coming at a time after the Delaware County auditor's office has reappraised properties in the fastest growing county in Ohio.

"It is not easy for people to vote themselves a tax increase," said Tracy MacDowell, who co-chairs Olentangy for Kids, a group backing school levies in the district. But she said the Olentangy community has supported strong education for more than two decades.

Olentangy Treasurer Ryan Jenkins said that tax bills won't increase at the same percentage as property values go up. He said that even though home values might increase 25-30%, a typical tax bill would rise 3-5%.

According to the district, the levy would cost homeowners an additional $148.75 a year for each $100,000 of appraised value, based on 2024 home values.

Olentangy is now the fourth largest school district in the state, with 23,272 students in grades K-12 in November, trailing just Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Olentangy is geographically big, a one-time rural school district in central and southern Delaware County with 95 square miles, The Columbus school district, by comparison, is 137 square miles. Dublin's is 42 square miles. Westerville's is 37 square miles.

Cincinnati's school district is 91 square miles. Cleveland's is 79.

Officials expect more than 5,000 more students in the Olentangy district over the next 10 years, MacDowell said.

The breakdown, according to Olentangy Superintendent Todd Meyer: more than 2,400 elementary students, 1,200 middle schoolers and 1,500 high school students.

Construction is already underway on another school. Olentangy’s 17th elementary school, Peachblow Crossing, will open in fall 2024 at the corner of Peachblow and Piatt Roads in Berlin Township southeast of the city of Delaware.

Jenkins said that because of rising property values, the district cut the debt service millage rate from 7.5 mills to 6.75 mills.

"With debt service, we're only trying to create a revenue stream that allows us to pay debt obligations, with values going up the way they did," he said. "Given that opportunity, we have a chance to provide relief to our community."

A "yes" vote on March 19 would authorize two levies that make up the 4.25-mill issue. The first, a 3-mill operating levy, would bring in $19 million a year and go toward operating costs such as staff salaries. The second part, a 1.25-mill permanent improvement levy, would generate about $7.9 million a year toward maintenance, repair and upkeep of facilities.

Jenkins said the 4.25-mill levy is the lowest the district has asked for in 30 years. MacDowell said that the millage would have been higher had it not been for additional state funding.

Jenkins said the first full year of collections of money the levy generates would come in 2025.

Olentangy officials have traditionally placed levies on spring ballots. "Based on the information from our facilities committee, we determined that spring is the best time to go on the ballot and only ask for what we need," Meyer said.

If the levy passes, the district plans to open the new high school, which doesn't have a name yet, by the 2027-2028 school year, Meyer said. The new high school would be built on the north side of Bunty Station Road, west of Sawmill Parkway, Meyer said, just south of the city of Delaware.

Plans call for the new middle school to open in 2027-2028.

The next two elementary schools would be built by the 2025-2026 school year, he said.

Jenkins said that the district plans to add 180 teachers over the next five years.

The district has more than 3,000 employees. Of those, more than 1,700 are certified teachers.

The teachers' contract is up in 2025.

Olentangy voters passed the last levy and bond issue in 2020 with a 57% yes vote with overcrowded schools fueling the need. That issue had three parts: a 7.4-mill levy for operations; a 30-year, $134.7 million bond issue for new buildings; and a 0.5-mill permanent improvement levy, used only to renovate and maintain buildings, plus equipment and supplies including buses.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy schools keep adding students, $27 million levy needed