For previous coverage of school levies in March's election, see the video player above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Multiple Franklin County school districts are looking ahead to more than just the new school year -- they're looking at the November ballot.
Bexley, Grandview Heights, Groveport Madison, Hilliard, New Albany, Reynoldsburg and Westerville school districts will all have levies on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Bexley has a proposed operating year that outlines a plan for the next five years of operation. The incremental tax levy proposes staggered revenue for schools, with the district receiving $5 million in 2025 and $2.5 million annually for the next four years.
According to Bexley schools, the levy would cost taxpayers $175 per $100,000 in 2025, and then $88 per $100,000 from 2026 through 2029. The $100,000 cost is based on the Franklin County Auditors’ appraisals.
According to the Board of Education, if the levy does not pass, the district would require operating cuts. Around 75% of district costs are salaries and benefits, and the district said it would have to “consider cuts and their impact on staffing and services to students.”
Bexley last approved a school levy in 2019.
The Board of Education placed a $69.5 million bond issue on the ballot with plans to build an elementary school.
According to the district, $52.2 million will go to the construction of a new Stevenson Elementary School. The remaining $17.3 million will be allocated toward improvements to the district’s athletic complex, which services students of all grades.
According to the Board of Education, this will cost $243 per $100,000 for taxpayers, based on their home value.
Stevenson Elementary was built in 1922, and the Board of Education said it considered renovations and deferred maintenance options but found that building a new facility would “enhance 21st century learning.” The board said renovations to the athletic complex would include replacing bleachers and building new accessible restrooms, locker rooms and concession stands.
The district last received levy funding in 2018; however, it does have a long-standing permanent improvement levy from 2010, which generates around $560,000 annually, the board said. It said this does not generate enough for improvements.
If the levy passes, the district said Stevenson Elementary students would attend modular classrooms on a lawn near Larson Middle School for the 2026-2027 school year.
The Groveport Madison Board of Education approved a $78.3 million bond levy just this Monday, with plans for three new middle schools and an addition to Groveport Madison High School.
The board approved the resolution 3-2, with the $78,305,000 proposal amounting to $85 per $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraisal value for taxpayers.
If approved in November, the funds will go toward the construction and improvement of three new middle schools for grades 5-8, according to the bond resolution. The plan also includes site improvements, demolition of existing facilities and the addition to Groveport High School.
Hilliard's Board of Education plans to replace three elementary schools and create a new sixth-grade center with a $6.9 mill* operating levy and a bond issue authorizing the district to issue $142 million in bonds.
The funding will go toward replacing three existing elementary schools: Brown, Beacon and Ridgewood, according to the district. It will also attach a second preschool to the new Beacon Elementary building. Brown will be converted to a third sixth-grade building.
According to Hilliard’s Board of Education, the operating levy will cost homeowners $242 per $100,000 of their homes’ appraised value. The bond levy will appear on the November ballot as $1.84 mills, but the district said it will use its annual property tax collection to pay off the bonds at no additional cost to taxpayers.
For more information, check out NBC4’s previous coverage here.
With plans to build a new elementary school and renovate multiple existing facilities, a $135 million bond issue will appear on the ballot.
In a special meeting July 23, New Albany’s Board of Education approved the $135 million bond issue, which will appear on ballots as 4.46 mills*. However, the board said this will vary in cost for different homeowners.
The board said anyone who lives on land parcels included in the New Albany Community Authority district will see a decrease in what they paid last year, with those living outside those limits paying $50.75 per $100,000 of their home’s value.
The New Albany Community Authority has a tax collection of 1.95 mills that will expire this year. Taxpayers affected by this collection will now be asked to pay 1.45 mills.
The board said between 2025 and 2028, funding will go to the construction of a new elementary school, a renovated high school building, a renovated middle school stadium, a larger transportation center and an expanded bus lane at the Early Learning Center.
Between 2028 and 2031, the district said it will renovate a second high school building with updated science labs, construct a fine arts hub for students in grades 6-12 and expand middle and high school cafeteria facilities.
Reynoldsburg placed an emergency operating levy on the ballot, the first since 2010.
Reynoldsburg schools are requesting a 6.65 mill levy, which is equivalent to $233 per $100,000 of the Franklin County Auditor's appraisal of taxpayer homes, according to Board of Education member Neal Whitman.
The district said it began spending more money than it received in fiscal year 2023, leading to a need for additional funding. The board said it is not looking to construct anything new or finance new projects. According to the board, the levy will go toward teacher salaries, providing current education standards and general maintenance.
In 2021, Reynoldsburg schools tried to pass an $85 million bond issue, but the issue failed by just 207 votes.
Westerville is requesting a 4.9 mill* levy to renovate and repair district facilities, the first in five years.
If passed, the board said it will generate an anticipated $20.8 million for the district. The funding will be used to offset inflation effects and to meet increasing specialized service needs for students.
The anticipated cost for taxpayers is $230 per $100,000 of their home appraisal value. However, with current bonds expiring, the district said this cost will be offset by about $58 per $100,000, resulting in a $172 per $100,000 increase.
The district also said the levy includes a 1.66 mill bond portion of the levy, structured to not increase property taxes. This portion would generate around $140 million for facility renovations including repairs and additions to Cherrington Elementary, Huber Ridge Elementary, Blendon Middle School and Walnut Springs Middle School.
Other projects would include creating additional preschool classrooms at the Early Learning Center, improvements to stadium and performing arts facilities, safety improvements and playground and parking lot repairs, the board said.
*Mills refer to a value unit for property tax rates in Ohio. A mill is one-tenth of a cent, or $0.001.
