2024 Emergency Levy

2024 Emergency Levy

Why does the District need the levy?

Reynoldsburg City Schools has not asked the community for an operating levy since 2010.

Typically, a district goes on the ballot every three or four years. Because we have been fiscally responsible, we have been able to avoid asking for a levy for over 14 years. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the District began deficit spending, which means we are spending more money than we are bringing in.

Property value increases negatively impacted the State Funding Formula, causing the state to contribute less per student. Inflation has resulted in increased costs to operate- everything from buying milk for school lunches to fueling our buses to ensuring our salaries are competitive. This operating levy would allow us to close the funding gap. 

Frequently Asked Questions:


In this video, Dr. Reed addresses some of most common questions the District is receiving regarding school financing and the levy. The questions addressed are:
  • 00:30 — Is the District top-heavy in regards to administration?
  • 04:06 — How have student demographics shifted and how does it impact costs?
  • 07:35 — How will the levy address the deficiencies in our report card?
  • 09:57 — How are the school and the city of Reynoldsburg different?
Answers to other top questions can be found below. Don't see yours? Visit us at an upcoming discussion (see below) or email us at [email protected] for further support!

How are school districts financed?

School districts in Ohio are financed with a combination of federal, state and local funds. At the state level, school districts receive funding from the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) general revenue funds and Ohio Lottery profits. At the local level, school districts receive funding from locally levied property taxes. School districts also can receive funding from income taxes approved by voters.

What is an emergency levy?

A property tax that serves as a limited operating levy (maximum of 10 years) proposed for a specific dollar amount. Because the dollar amount of taxes charged by the levy must stay constant, the millage rate increases or decreases as property values change. Emergency levies may be renewed for the dollar amount originally requested or with an increase or decrease.

Millage rate, what’s that?

The unit of value for expressing the rate of property taxes in Ohio is the “mill.” A mill is defined as one-tenth of a percent or one-tenth of a cent (0.1 cents) in cash terms. Millage is the factor applied to the assessed value of property to produce tax revenue.

What happens if the levy does not pass?


What is the plan for Hannah Ashton Middle School?

Hannah Ashton Middle School was closed as an educational building in 2022. The cost to maintain the building far outweighed its usefulness and safety for our students to receive an equitable education. As we have said in Board Meetings and other communication forums, right now, the building is being used for storage and there are no plans to reinstate the building or demolish it. If and when the time comes to take action on what to do with the building, we will seek input from the Board of Education and the community.

Has enrollment grown over the past few years?

Reynoldsburg City Schools educated 7,147 students for the 2023-2024 school year. While that number has remained steady, what has shifted are the needs of our diverse learners, especially our ELL students and those identified with a learning disability.

Our ELL population has grown 22% from school year 2021 through school year 2023.

Our students with an identified disability have grown 19% from school year 2021 through school year 2023.

These shifts have caused us to provide additional resources and continuums of care to ensure we are equitably serving all of our students in the District.

How many open enrollment students does the District serve?

Currently, Reynoldsburg City Schools enrolls 127 open enrollment students.

  • 27 are children of District employees
  • 100 are in grades 10-12 and will matriculate upon graduation.

Do they pay into our District?
Yes, the Ohio Fair School Funding plan (originally passed July 1, 2021) dictates that funds for student education follow the student to their district of instruction. All current open enrollment student funding is received by Reynoldsburg City Schools.

Why is the District paying for two superintendents?

In 2022, the Board of Education elected to hire Garilee Ogden, and both parties mutually agreed to alter the terms of the employment contract between them. Ms. Ogden remains with the District as a consultant and her contract ends July 31, 2025.

How much will the levy cost me?

Click the image below or follow these steps to find how the levy would impact your taxes.

Why Now?

In fiscal year 2023 the District entered a period of deficit spending. Essentially, we are depleting our savings to pay for everyday operating costs, like bus fuel, utilities and salaries, such as bus drivers, teachers and paraprofessionals.

If we were to delay the levy, future asks would cost us more as the economic environment continues to change. Following the pandemic, districts received an influx of recovery funding from the federal government. This funding has discontinued.

Since the pandemic, we have noticed a greater need for social, emotional and mental health supports and academic intervention for our students. We have continued to provide these supports despite the loss of recovery funding.

An operating levy IS…

Green checkmark iconA way to ensure our hard-working teachers and staff are appropriately compensated in an ever-growing and competitive market

Green checkmark iconA way to continue to provide educational materials and curriculum that meets or exceeds our Portrait of a Graduate competencies

Green checkmark iconA way to maintain upkeep on our current buildings and ensure safe and conducive learning spaces for ALL of our students


An operating levy IS NOT…

Red X iconA way to finance the construction of new buildings or office space

Red X iconA way to spend above our current needs

Red X icon    A way to spend on new projects outside of the current operating budget 
Key dates graphic

Previous Discussions:

Aug. 28, 2024: Reynoldsburg branch - Columbus Metropolitan Library. 6pm - 7pm

Sept. 25, 2024: Facebook Live, hosted by Reynoldsburg City Council member Bhuwan Pyakurel. Began at 8:30pm.


Upcoming Discussions:

Oct. 17, 2024: Reynoldsburg Senior Center Presentation. 11:30am - 12:30pm. The RSC at 1520 Davidson Drive.

Please check back often for additional opportunities!
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Voter Information

Whether you vote on the levy or not, Reynoldsburg City Schools believes voting leads to stronger communities and local pride. If you are not registered to vote, you can begin the process on Ohio’s election website or vote.gov.
Statement of Facts

Have questions not answered here?

Visit us at an upcoming discussion or email us at [email protected] for further support!

Special Board Meeting

On Oct. 2, 2024, a special board meeting was held at Reynoldsburg City Hall. The meeting was held following feedback during previous town halls regarding potential expenditure cuts. You can view the presentation from the meeting below. Also, you can Click Here to see NBC4's coverage of the event.

















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