“Obviously, I’m very disappointed in the results,” Reynoldsburg Schools Superintendent Steve Dackin told the crowd gathered at the school district office on election night.
At press time, unofficially, 53 percent of voters had rejected Reynoldsburg school’s 15.6-mil levy.
In Franklin County, residents defeated the issue with 3,705 votes to 2,757.
The issue passed Licking County with 1,366 to 960, but their votes could not overturn the Franklin County decision.
Save Our Schools (SOS), the committee behind the levy campaign, had informed the voters well regarding what was at stake, Dackin said.
“I am absolutely convinced that people knew exactly what they were voting for and voted their conscience,” Dackin said. “We will enact deep cuts (that will result in) a lack of programs and services for kids.”
The “deep cuts” include the dismissal of 72 teachers, the elimination of busing for all high school students and for kindergarten through eighth-graders who live within two miles of school, the elimination of elementary music, art and gym, and an $800 pay-to-play fee for each sport.
“I am disappointed and think Reynoldsburg children deserve more,” said Daryl Albrecht, co-chair of SOS. “Unfortunately, the community didn’t see that.”
“We will emerge from this as strong as can be,” Dackin said. “I guarantee our reading, writing and arithmetic will be as good as anybody’s if not better.
“It’s premature to discuss what our next step might be,” Dackin said.
Hello
I tried to vote last night but was turned away. The Taylor Road rep told me I was at the wrong station and had to go to the Fire facility, when I arrived there I was told that I was in the 3C district and had to vote at Taylor road. I re-arrived at Taylor road at 7.25, myself and about 4 other voters walked up to a locked door, they shut the polling down early. I think this was an important enough issue that they should of been kept open until 7.30, or even later as allot of people cant make the 7.30 dead line, due to work family obligations, we can keep the polls open extra long for the President why not for our childrens future.
