Licking County voters rejected two separate proposals that would have granted Southwest Licking School District funding to build a new 5-6 grade middle school and continue to pay for staff and services in light of funding cuts.
Voters rejected the $80,710,000 bond that would have constructed a new 5-6 grade middle school, with 60.40% of voters opposing the proposal. The new school was needed to keep up with massive growth in the district Superintendent Kasey Perkins said.
“We’re growing extremely rapidly,” Perkins said. “Our intermediate, our middle school, and our high school are over capacity currently.”
Now that the bond has failed, the district may start half-day kindergarten, implement split taught classes for grades 6-12 and eliminate some high school bussing. This is the third time in a row that a Southwest Licking School District bond proposal has failed.
The 2% earned income tax replacement failed with 67.23% of voters rejecting the proposal. If passed, the tax would have replaced a current 0.75% income tax. The earned income tax would not have taxed retirement accounts, pensions or social security. Perkins said state level funding cuts created a need for increased local funding.
Now that the tax has failed, the district will need to make $5.1 million worth of cuts. The district said cuts would begin with high school busing, field trips and summer school; but counselors, teachers and other staff may be cut as well.
“It would be catastrophic to this district and to our kids if we have to implement those reductions,” Perkins said.
Maddie Luebkert writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.
Luebkert is one of two Kirtley Mather Fellows at The Reporting Project. The fellowship in memory of Kirtley Mather, Denison Class of 1909, provides students with opportunities to engage in service for the common good.