Franklin City Schools are considering cuts after voters rejected a 6.3-mill levy on March 19 — including possibly closing two of its five elementary schools.
The property tax measure would have generated $3.6 million each year for the district's general operating expenses, including salaries.
The issue was the first new money levy since 2014, according to Superintendent Michael Sander.
“We will stop having the neighborhood elementary (schools), and then what we will do is we’ll combine our elementary schools into three schools,” Sander said. “We will stop having our small class sizes. We try to keep our classes 20 (students) to 1 (teacher). That’s gone.”
The schools under consideration for closure are Anthony Wayne Elementary and Pennyroyal Elementary.
The district also will look to cut staff, teachers, classified staff and administrators, Sander said.
Additionally, Sander said families likely will have to pay more for their children to participate in extracurricular activities.
He called the election results disappointing.
“We couldn’t even get our parents out to vote for it," Sander said. "If your parents aren’t going to vote for it, then you’re not going to pass anything. That’s kind of frustrating. It’s directly benefiting their kids, and they didn’t get out and support it.”
According to the Buckeye Association of School Administrators–across Ohio, there were 98 school levies on the March primary ballot; 47 passed.
