Levy Information

The 4.25-mill levy package includes three parts:  

1. A ‘no additional millage’ bond package that authorizes the district to seek up to $350,000,000 in bond proceeds to construct new facilities; 
2. 3.00 continuing operating mills; and 
3. 1.25 continuing permanent improvement mills. 

The 3.00-mill operating levy will collect approximately $19 million for district operations, and the 1.25-mill permanent improvement levy will collect approximately $7.9 million for the maintenance and upkeep of facilities. The combined estimated annual collections will be about $26.9 million.

In reviewing the 2024 home values, it will cost homeowners an estimated $148.75 annually for each $100,000 of their appraised value.  

Olentangy received long-awaited funding relief as Ohio lawmakers prioritized fair school funding in the biennium budget last summer. House Bill 33 includes key provisions that affect Olentangy’s state funding to provide tax relief to our community. While this development has reduced the levy ask, it does not eliminate the need for a levy entirely as the District makes plans to accommodate current and projected growth.  

Home valuations and their effect on property taxes are a complex formula. We’ve created a series of three videos that can be found on the Treasurer’s webpage to explain this formula. In these videos, we demonstrate that when a home is reappraised at a higher value, it does not result in taxes increasing at the same percentage, and the school district does not automatically receive more money in voted taxes. 

The operating levy will be used to fund the day-to-day operations of our growing district, including salaries, benefits and other supply and material costs to operate our schools. The operating levy will also provide the funds that allow us to continue to address increased staffing needs to match growth, which will keep class sizes at appropriate levels and avoid the use of modular classrooms. Finally, the operating levy will allow us to expand our security personnel to include our elementary schools. 

Bond issue proceeds will be used for the construction of five additional Olentangy school buildings: three elementary schools (elementaries 18, 19, and 20), a seventh middle school, and a fifth high school. 

Additional revenues generated by the bond issue and permanent improvement levy ensure safe and adequate facilities for students to learn and staff to work – including the maintenance, repairs, and upkeep of capital facilities, school buildings, parking lots, equipment, and other significant infrastructure.

To accommodate our growth, minimize redistricting processes, and receive the best pricing for our building investments, we plan to open elementary schools 18 and 19 in the fall of 2025 and high school 5 in the fall of 2027. Our facilities committee will monitor enrollment for grades K-8 to ensure the optimal timeline for opening elementary school 20 and middle school 7. 

The following are facility improvements that the District expects to complete: 

• Security upgrades; 
• Theater updates at each high school (e.g., lighting, sound, painting); 
• Musical instrument replacements in district schools; 
• Buses; 
• Stadium updates (e.g., fencing, scoreboards, tracks, lighting); 
• Flooring, mechanical and roofing systems, and furnishings at elementary, middle and high schools; 
• Paving and sealing parking lots at elementary, middle and high schools; 
• Support facilities for transportation, technology, and maintenance; and 
• Land for future growth.