South-Western school officials "are moving quickly yet responsibly" to reinstate extracurricular activities, busing and recreational facility use, deputy superintendent Phil Warner said.

Those activities were cut this year as cost-saving moves. The district has been working to restore them since Issue 47, an operating levy, passed on Nov. 3.

Busing should be restored to last school year's status by Nov. 30, Warner told the school board Nov. 16. In addition, high school and middle school athletic schedules are set and several community groups have filed applications to use school facilities after school hours.

"It is with great joy and pride that we stand in front of you and talk about the reinstatement plan as a result of the success of Issue 47," he said.

Warner said officials will use the same bus routes as the 2008-09 year. High school bus drivers will make "dry runs" on Nov. 20, he added.

Administrators have worked with representatives of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 211, the support staff union, to fill 12 bus driver positions the board eliminated in connection with levy failures earlier this year, Warner said.

Parents will receive letters before Thanksgiving describing the coming busing routes additions, Warner said.

He said the school district transportation department will hold a job fair from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 25 at the transportation office, 3427 Southwest Boulevard, to find drivers.

"It just takes a little bit of time to put things together," he said. "We'll be ready to roll Nov. 30."

Recreational facilities reopened Nov. 16, Warner said.

"We're receiving lots of (requests to use the buildings) a day, and they are being processed," he added.

Building officials will maintain reduced heating and cooling schedules to continue energy savings, Warner said.

High schools and middle schools have held meetings on the reinstatement of extracurricular activities, to keep parents and students informed, he said.

School board members on Nov. 4 approved contracts for 43 high school and middle school athletics coaching contracts. School board members approved 12 more coaching contracts on Nov. 16. They also approved several supplemental contracts for extracurricular activities other than athletics.

Warner said high school athletics teams have been scheduled in the Ohio Capital Conference for the winter.

"We're doing the best we can to reinstate things as they were," he said.

Also at the meeting, Jill Billman-Royer and Mark Mayers, co-chairpersons for the pro-levy group Citizens for South-Western City Schools, thanked and gave plaques to many volunteers who served the levy passage cause in the last year.

Mayers said community residents and business leaders are working to create a fund to help lower-income students afford the fee structure now in place for extracurricular activities.

He said the fund, which has yet to be named, will be established for all schools in the district and will last as long as support does.

"This is not a one-time fund," he added.

Those interested in helping create the fund can send an e-mail to helpthefund@columbus.rr.com, Mayers said.

During the public participation portion of the meeting, Rick Redfern, a volunteer with Citizens for SWCS, said members of anti-levy group South-Western Alternatives to Taxes deserve credit.

"SWAT deserves an award for making the citizens who supported South-Western City Schools work harder," he said.

Without the anti-levy push, Redfern said school officials would not have worked to create a community advisory group and volunteer for a state performance audit.

Bob Ruth said voters Nov. 3 sent a message that they want change in the school district.

He said, "I'm not a mind reader, but my guess is that a large number of those voting in favor of the levy were really saying, 'We want to rehire laid-off teachers and restore after-school sports, extracurricular activities and high school busing.' They were not saying, 'We want to increase or maintain already generous health benefits for our teachers and other school employees, or increase already generous salaries of South-Western's administrators.'"

Cindy Legue said she was "very happy" the levy passed.

"To me the number one benefit of passing Issue 47 is that students will never again be used as leverage to pass another levy," she said.

"In the future, the administration and board will have to be honest and say that any future levy attempts will be about one thing - the labor unions and raises," she said.

Terry Jones said the biggest thing South-Western Alternatives to Taxes attempted to achieve was to create "a real community voice.

"I thought we were on the verge of having that, but I think we missed that window of opportunity with the passage of Issue 47," he said.