LEWIS CENTER, Ohio (WCMH) – Olentangy Schools is asking for money from taxpayers to help the district accommodate rapid growth, which has resulted in multiple schools being overcapacity.
Like other levies, the Olentangy Schools levy is measured in “mills,” or one-tenth of one cent. The district seeks a 3-mill operating levy, a 1.25-mill permanent improvement levy and a “no additional millage” bond package which authorizes the district to build five additional schools.
For each $100,000 of market value, the combined 4.25-mill levy would cost property owners $148.75 per year in taxes. The levy would bring in about $28.9 million annually for the district, according to its website.
Twelve of the 16 elementary schools in the district are over 100% capacity, with the district also experiencing overcrowding at its middle and high schools, according to Olentangy School Board President Brandon Lester.
“Olentangy is experiencing just tremendous growth,” Lester said. “We are expecting to add around 500 new students each year for the next 10 years at least, and likely beyond that.”
The district is already making adjustments to accommodate the influx of students, Lester said.
“So we’re doing the best we can right now to manage where people are but it’s causing us to shift students from one school to another to just make sure that we have enough space for people,” Lester said. “We’ve also had to get some modular classrooms, or trailers, that we set up outside one of our elementary schools right now, and that’s going to continue being an issue unless we’re able to build more schools to be able to handle that.”
How the levy money would be used
The money from the 3-mill operating levy would be used to fund the day-to-day operations of the district, including salaries, benefits and other material costs to operate the schools. It would also be used to address staffing needs and to expand security personnel to its elementary schools, a spokesperson with the district said.
Funds from the 1.25-mill continuing levy would go towards the maintenance, repairs and upkeep of buildings and equipment.
The “no additional millage” bond package would authorize the district to seek up to $350,000,000 in bond proceeds to construct new facilities. This would not increase mileage for the community, but would allow the district to build five new schools, specifically three elementary schools (numbers 18, 19 and 20), a seventh middle school and a fifth high school.
The schools to be built include:
- An elementary school on Bean-Oller Road, west of Sawmill Parkway, expected to be completed by the 2025-26 school year
- An elementary school on land next to Berkshire Middle School, expected to be completed by the 2025-26 school year
- A high school on Bunty Station Road, west of Sawmill Parkway, expected to be completed by the 2027-28 school year
- An elementary and middle school, to be tentatively located on Curve Road north of Berlin High School, slated for opening by the 2028-29 school year
What if the levy fails?
If the levy fails, schools in the district could continue to become overcrowded, which limits opportunities for students to participate in sports teams and other extracurricular activities, Lester said.
“Classrooms could become more crowded, schools could become more crowded,” Lester said. “We’d have to look at things like those modular classrooms or trailers, that I mentioned before, and putting those at more schools.”
Redistricting is a common practice in the Olentangy school district due to its continued growth. If the ballot passes, redistricting will occur as buildings open. If the ballot fails, then redistricting processes will take place more often to balance enrollment, according to Olentangy Schools' website.
Additionally, if the levy fails, the district foresees the next levy it puts on the ballot would have an increased mileage. The district said its current projections show that if Olentangy Schools must wait until 2025 to pass a levy, the levy would total 5.75 mills versus the current ask of 4.25 mills. If the levy were to not pass until 2026, the ask would increase to 6.75 mills.
“The last several levies Olentangy has put forth have been significantly higher than this, in fact, this is the lowest operating ask that the district has had in around 30 years,” Lester said. “And a large part of that is due to the increase in state funding.”
If the levy passes, Lester said “it’s tough to tell” when another could be put on the ballot. The state recently increased the funding that goes to Olentangy Schools through the Fair School Funding Plan. Up until 2021, Olentangy Schools was receiving around $600 per student from the state. Now, under the new formula, the district receives about $1,600 per student from the state, Lester said.
“If the Fair School Funding Plan is fully implemented by the state at the next budget cycle and the amount for Olentangy increases, that will significantly lower the amount of money the district will need from the community,” Lester said.
Lester stated the timing of future levies is dependent on the state budget and funding.
Other school districts with levies on the ballot
Madison-Plains Local School District and Teays Valley Local School District will also have levies appearing on the March 19 ballot.
Madison-Plains Schools has a 5.40-mill levy on the ballot, which would cost taxpayers $189 annually for each $100,000 of market value. The levy would fund the construction of a new Pre-K through grade 12 facility.
Teays Valley Schools placed a 5.33-mill levy on the ballot, which would cost taxpayers $186.55 annually for each $100,000 of market value. The bond issue would fund a plan to construct two new school buildings that would accommodate a projected increase in student enrollment, according to the district’s website.
