School districts ask voters’ OK on tax issues

With early voting underway for the May 8 primary election, the GahannaJefferson school district is asking residents to provide more money for day-to-day expenses and for construction to deal with overcrowding.

Issue 2 is a combined 5.5-mill bond issue and new permanent operating levy that would cost the owner of a $100,000 house about $192 per year. The 4.28-mill property-tax levy would raise about $6.7 million per year, said GahannaJefferson Treasurer Kristine Blind, and the 1.22-mill bond issue would raise $32 million over 30 years for building and renovations.

The construction priorities come from a 2017 master facilities plan that a group of community members and school leaders developed.

Officials say not only are the buildings becoming outdated, but district enrollment has grown about 8 percent in the past five years — mostly in Jefferson Township. Most of the elementary schools are full or close to full, especially Blacklick, High Point and Jefferson, said Superintendent Steve Barrett.

A major part of phase 1 of the plan would be a brand-new Lincoln Elementary School to replace the current mid-1950s building. Lincoln would be relocated from its current site on Havens Corners Road to Helmbright Drive.

The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, which helps school districts with building projects, estimated that renovating Lincoln would cost 70 percent of the price of a new structure, so it recommended the rebuild.

Relocating the school would free up the land to possibly expand the adjacent Gahanna Lincoln High School, but that wouldn’t be in the first construction phase. The idea of building a second Gahanna high school has been floated, but Barrett said public sentiment has been leaning toward a single high school.

Also in the first phase would be renovations to K-8 buildings throughout the district. After that might come phase 2: additions to all three middle schools and to High Point and Blacklick elementaries, and whatever the community decides to do with the high school.

The operating levy part of the issue marks the first time that Gahanna-Jefferson has been back to the ballot for operating funds since 2011. Inflation has made everything more expensive since then, district officials note.

The district made cuts of $1.3 million last year to extend its old levy another year, Barrett said, and tried to spare academics as much as possible. But that is unlikely if another round of cuts are necessary.

“Our class sizes will go up,” Barrett said, and class offerings would be reduced.

If the issue doesn’t pass this spring, the district would need to cut $2 million from the budget before next school year, “and maybe more,” he said.

Gahanna-Jefferson is the only school district that’s primarily in Franklin County with an issue on the May ballot. In the sevencounty central Ohio region, three counties — Delaware, Pickaway and Union — don’t have any school issues on the May ballot. The others: In Fairfield County: • Amanda-Clearcreek schools is asking for a new income-tax levy of 1.5 percent, lasting five years, for operating expenses.

• Bloom-Carroll schools is proposing a bond issue of 4.3 mills over 37 years to build a new K-5 building, combined with a 1.2-mill property tax levy for permanent improvements, costing about $192.50 a year per $100,000 in property value. In Licking County: • Granville schools seeks a new 5-year, 1.25 percent income tax to pay for operating expenses.

• Johnstown-Monroe schools propose a renewal of a 1 percent income tax for five years to pay for operations and a renewal of an emergency 6.9-mill property tax levy for five years, costing $211 a year per $100,000 of assessed property value.

• Newark schools seeks a 10-year renewal of a 7-mill emergency levy, costing about $214 annually per $100,000 of valuation.

• Northridge schools is asking for a 30-year income tax of 0.5 percent to pay for security upgrades and building improvements and a 2.8-mill bond issue to replace the elementary school, the latter costing about $98 a year per $100,000 in property value. In Madison County: • Madison-Plains schools seek a 1.25 percent income tax for five years to pay for operating expenses.