Voters say 'no' to school levy
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By James D. DeCamp/ThisWeek
Reynoldsburg board of education President Cheryl Max, left, and Stephanie Meige-Gustavson watch as district business manager Ronald Strussion looks over computerized election results at the Robert P. Heischman Administration Center on East Main Street Tuesday night.
Reynoldsburg voters said no to a school operating levy Tuesday, the third time in a year the
district has failed to gain support at the polls.
The district's 9.9-mill operating levy was defeated in Franklin County by a vote of 4,553 against (54.7 percent) to 3,770 in favor (45.3 percent), according to final unofficial numbers from the Franklin County Board of Elections.
In Licking County, there were 1,650 votes (56.5 percent) for the levy and 1,274 votes (43.5 percent) against it.
Superintendent Steve Dackin said the vote was disappointing but he remains grateful to the community for its support for its schools.
"This community has once again said to the district, 'you need to go back and reduce your expenditures,' and we will do that," Dackin said.
He said the cuts will be between $3-million and $4-million beginning next school year and will include reducing staff and extracurricular activities.
"The five-year forecast shows a $732,000 positive balance at the end of this school year, and going into next school year, the district will have to look at projected expenditures and cut between $3-million and $4-million to end up with a positive cash balance for the following school year," Dackin said.
"Unfortunately, 85 percent of our budget is personnel, so we know there will be additional cuts out of personnel for next school year and we know the high school and junior high will take the brunt of those cuts, with the high school taking the lion share of them," he said.
Dackin said the cuts will affect elective courses at both the high school and junior high schools, including Advanced Placement courses, enriched classes and other non-core courses such as music, art and physical education.
In addition, he said the district will consider lowering graduation requirements from 212 credits to 20 because the school day will be shortened at the high school.
"We'll simply have less course offerings to offer kids," he said. "We'll have to lower the standard to state minimum which is 20."
Dackin said any cuts the district has to absorb beyond the $17-million in reductions that have already been made over the last five years will continue to move the Reynoldsburg district toward state minimum standards and a possible fiscal emergency.
"When they're looking at the five-year forecast and the district forecasting a negative cash balance for four out of the five years, it's there we'll get the state's attention, because as you know, in Ohio you cannot run a school district in the negative," Dackin said. "So there's only two solutions: Either get more revenue or you cut, or do both."
As for going back to the ballot in May with another operating levy Dackin said that decision will not have to be made until February.
"We'll see what the board wants to do and we'll take our cue from that point on and see where it takes us," he said.
The district's 9.9-mill operating levy was defeated in Franklin County by a vote of 4,553 against (54.7 percent) to 3,770 in favor (45.3 percent), according to final unofficial numbers from the Franklin County Board of Elections.
In Licking County, there were 1,650 votes (56.5 percent) for the levy and 1,274 votes (43.5 percent) against it.
Superintendent Steve Dackin said the vote was disappointing but he remains grateful to the community for its support for its schools.
"This community has once again said to the district, 'you need to go back and reduce your expenditures,' and we will do that," Dackin said.
He said the cuts will be between $3-million and $4-million beginning next school year and will include reducing staff and extracurricular activities.
"The five-year forecast shows a $732,000 positive balance at the end of this school year, and going into next school year, the district will have to look at projected expenditures and cut between $3-million and $4-million to end up with a positive cash balance for the following school year," Dackin said.
"Unfortunately, 85 percent of our budget is personnel, so we know there will be additional cuts out of personnel for next school year and we know the high school and junior high will take the brunt of those cuts, with the high school taking the lion share of them," he said.
Dackin said the cuts will affect elective courses at both the high school and junior high schools, including Advanced Placement courses, enriched classes and other non-core courses such as music, art and physical education.
In addition, he said the district will consider lowering graduation requirements from 212 credits to 20 because the school day will be shortened at the high school.
"We'll simply have less course offerings to offer kids," he said. "We'll have to lower the standard to state minimum which is 20."
Dackin said any cuts the district has to absorb beyond the $17-million in reductions that have already been made over the last five years will continue to move the Reynoldsburg district toward state minimum standards and a possible fiscal emergency.
"When they're looking at the five-year forecast and the district forecasting a negative cash balance for four out of the five years, it's there we'll get the state's attention, because as you know, in Ohio you cannot run a school district in the negative," Dackin said. "So there's only two solutions: Either get more revenue or you cut, or do both."
As for going back to the ballot in May with another operating levy Dackin said that decision will not have to be made until February.
"We'll see what the board wants to do and we'll take our cue from that point on and see where it takes us," he said.
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