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Voters Approve Columbus City Schools Levy

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Last night was a good one for school levies on ballots in Franklin County, including the Columbus City Schools' 6.92 mill request. The results are a dramatic reversal of what happened when the district went to the voters three years ago. Alison Holm reports.

“It shows you how hard we have worked over the last two or three years…. We have listened to our community, to our families, to our staff, to our partners, and you saw that with the results.”

 

Columbus Schools board president Gary Baker says the success of last nights levy request was a result of a series of smaller successes within the district – starting with classroom performance.

 

“Over the last two years, 91 percent of our third graders have been able to complete their grade and continue on to fourth grade. Just two and a half years ago that rate was 42 percent. That’s the kind of thing that we have focused on as an administration and as a board, and so we can point to that and say this is a really incredible improvement; we’ve really moved the needle on this.”

 

The success was also the result of a smaller, more streamlined ask. In 2013 the 9.01 mil combined bond and levy request promised money for technology, building improvements, improved training, new programs, as well as money for charter schools in the district. This time around, the district focused on expanding pre-K classes, taking care of deferred maintenance, and staffing. Superintendent Dan Good says the estimated additional $50 million a year will be felt primarily in the classrooms.

 

“We didn’t include any administrative positions: 290 of those 324.5 positions will be used to provide direct services to students. Licensed school nurses, social workers, career professionals, special education interventionists – these are people that work with children on a daily basis.”

 

Columbus City wasn’t the only district celebrating last night; operating levies in Hilliard and Westerville schools and a bond issue for Bexley schools also appeared to have passed. But the picture was less rosy for other school districts in Central Ohio. Voters rejected bond issues for Big Walnut, Northridge, and Southwest Licking schools, and defeated levy requests from Licking Heights and Amanda Clearcreek schools.

A native of Chicago, naturalized citizen of Cincinnati and resident of Columbus, Alison attended Earlham College and the Ohio State University. She has equal passion for Midwest history, hockey and Slavic poetry.
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