School levies failed across central Ohio in primary election. What's next?

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) -- Voters across central Ohio said "No" on Tuesday to higher taxes for school spending.

Several school district levies failed last night, including a combined 4.25-mill levy for the state's fourth-largest district -- Olentangy Local School District. Nearly two-thirds of voters rejected it, according to unofficial election results.

For the Heath City School District, this is the first time a levy has not passed since 2006. 

“We have buildings, three of them, that are 65 years old and size-wise, don’t meet our needs for anticipated growth in the future,” said Superintendent Trevor Thomas. 

Thomas said the levy would have paid for the construction of a new K-6 building as well as replace two buildings. He understands there were concerns from the community about the timing of it, but he said their needs won’t change. 

“We anticipate that building costs are going to continue to increase, especially in central Ohio, with the amount of growth that's anticipated,” he says. 

Olentangy’s levy would have funded the construction of five new schools. District leaders said this was crucial in preparing for the anticipated influx of nearly 5,000 students over the next 10 years. 

In a statement, the district said the levy was the "lowest operational ask of this community" in three decades.

"There are many questions on how this decision impacts current attendance boundaries, the construction and opening of new schools, and the timing of a future levy and bond ask to our Delaware County community. We do not have all those answers yet," the statement read. "We will take a closer look at resource alignment and our priorities as we work to meet the needs of an ever-growing student population.”

For Teays Valley Local School District, a failed levy would have funded the construction of two new buildings to accommodate projected increase in student enrollment. 

Teays Valley Local School District Superintendent Kyle Wolfe said in a statement that the district believed a major reason the levy failed was because of property reappraisals driving up homeowners' expected taxes.

"While we knew it was a difficult time to be on the ballot, we have an immediate need and the growth is continuing, so the bond is necessary in order for us to accommodate the growing number of students at all of our schools," Wolfe said. "We will continue to educate our students and provide them with the best education and opportunities that we can offer them."

Vladimir Kogan, a political science professor at Ohio State University, agreed that property appraisals likely contributed to voters' rejection of levies at the ballot box.

“School districts and counties that just completed their property tax-free appraisals. So people's property taxes were going up and that's not the best time to ask them to increase it even more,” he says. 

Kogan noted that Tuesday's election had a low turnout -- not uncommon for primary races. However, if school districts decide to put levies on the ballot again in November, it’s hard to say if the results will be any different. 

“It also depends on what the economy will look like. If there is a recession that people predict, it's probably going to make it harder to pass a levy now, not easier," said Kogan.