School levies failed across Central Ohio last month. Here's what they say about the region's growth and future - Columbus Business First
“Almost every single residential plan will have a school impact study required, and it's important,” New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding said. “We have specifically evaluated projects under that lens: What will the impact be on the schools?” Olentangy Local School District in Ohio had asked voters to increase property taxes to fund the construction of new schools to keep up with community growth. The district, which includes parts of Delaware, Columbus, Westerville and Powell, argued that its schools were already nearing capacity and would soon be over. However, 63.44% of voters voted against the levy, a close to 2-1 margin. This was one of at least six school district levies across Central Ohio that failed last month, all of which would have expanded or renovated existing buildings or added new ones. Meanwhile, New Albany-Plain Local Schools are at about 90% capacity and are considering new developments that require a school impact study to be considered for impact on the schools. Despite this, the growth of Columbus is seen as an economic opportunity, with city officials seeing it as an opportunity for all its residents to build wealth and attract new jobs and investment.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Zachary Jarrell in Business
Olentangy Local School District had a request for voters last month: Increase your property taxes, so we can build the new schools we need to keep up with the community’s growth.
The district — which includes parts of Delaware, Columbus, Westerville and Powell, in addition to seven townships — told residents its schools were already nearing capacity and would soon be over. The additional $148.75 per $100,000 of a property’s appraised value, Olentangy Schools argued, was necessary.
Voters said no. According to unofficial election results, 63.44% voted against the levy — a close to 2-1 margin.
Olentangy was one of at least six school district levies to fail across Central Ohio last month, all of which would have expanded or renovated existing buildings or added new ones. The others: Heath City Schools, Fairbanks Local School District, Madison-Plains Local Schools, North Fork Local Schools and Teays Valley Local School District.
“We are naturally disappointed that the ballot issue placed before voters did not receive enough support,” Olentangy Superintendent Todd Meyer said in an address after the vote.
It’s a microcosm of a larger tug-of-war in Central Ohio: How do you responsibly foster growth in the region while assuaging fears about cost of living and quality of life?
New Albany-Plain Local Schools are nearing the same crossroads Olentangy has found itself at.
Sloan Spalding, New Albany’s mayor, said the district currently sits at about 90% capacity.
“Somewhere around between 85 and 90 is when you need to start planning for an additional building,” he told me. “So, we're already today right at that edge of needing to have that community conversation about additional buildings on campus.”
New Albany officials are actively thinking about that reality when considering new developments in the city.
“Almost every single residential plan will have a school impact study required, and it's important,” Spalding said. “We have specifically evaluated projects under that lens: What will the impact be on the schools?”
He added, “Growth comes with some challenges, and maintaining strong schools is one of them.”
Success for New Albany, in Spalding’s eyes, will be continuing to grow in a “mindful way.”
“We're going to have growth, absolutely,” he said. “Today's growth from a housing standpoint looks a little different than it did 10 years ago, and we need to understand that dynamic and have plans to adjust for that reality.”
Still, he recognized growth means change — and longtime residents don’t always like change.
“Anytime you have growth in the community, there's going to be a number of folks that are resistant to change. Change is always hard,” Spalding said. “It doesn't matter what kind of change you're going through, change is hard. A growing community is going to have challenges that you have to work through together.”
Like it or not, however, Columbus’ growth isn’t slowing down.
At the tail end of last year, in fact, Columbus grew faster than any other city in America — with a 1.1% rise in population in both the third and fourth quarters of 2023, according to a Bank of America study.
City officials in Columbus see that growth as an economic prospect.
“This is an opportunity for all our residents to build wealth,” said Michael Stevens, director of development for the city of Columbus.
“I think sometimes you get a lot of individuals who just don't want to see growth and don't want additional development happening in their community.”
He acknowledged growth can put stress on things like the school systems. But there may not be a bigger strain in the region than housing — and building more of it is a top priority for the city.
“We need housing at every price point,” Stevens said. “We just need more housing. We need more housing throughout the whole region.”
Central Ohio, he said, has “had a lot of success in attracting new jobs and new investment.”
“But we need to accommodate that,” he continued. “Because if we don't, then the market is going to hit a level where it's unaffordable.”
A Columbus City Schools levy passed in November. But when it comes to the failed levies elsewhere in the region, Stevens pointed to schools having to use what he called the state’s “broken” funding model.
Spalding thinks the recent levy failures “highlight the fact that some, in particular suburban communities, are reaching a threshold with their tax contribution.”
“It's something that the state and the region are going to have to work with,” he said, “because if you don't have that support at the local level, it may be more difficult to maintain strong schools — and strong schools make strong communities.”
As for Olentangy, its path forward is currently unclear but imperative.
“The needs of this district will not disappear,” Meyer said.