Worthington school district voters did a complete flip-flop on Tuesday.

 

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections showed the 6.9-mill incremental operating levy passing by nearly a 60 percent to 40 percent margin.

The vote was 11,434 votes for the Issue 49, and 7,735 votes against.

Last May, voters also voted 60-40, but that time the vote was against a 7.4-mill levy.

Since then, the Worthington Board of Education reduced the size of the levy, decided to phase it in, and announced an extensive list of cuts that would go into effect if the levy failed.

On the cut list were high school busing, district support for sports and other extra-curricular activities, and the number of class offerings at the high schools.

To save $14-million, the district would have cut 80 teaching positions and 45 classified positions.

Supporters gathered at the Worthington Education Center on Tuesday night repeatedly broke into applause as results came in. Midway through the count, no precincts were voting against the levy.

"These are numbers I haven't seen in 21 years here," board member Charlie Wilson said.

Indeed, the last time a Worthington levy was approved by 60 percent of voters was 1987.

Not only was the margin more favorable than last May, but so was the turnout, he noted. And the new voters were approving the levy two-to-one.

"These are incredible numbers in this economic crisis," he said. "People are remembering why they moved here."

A large number of volunteers working for the levy made the difference, Wilson and Superintendent of Schools Melissa Conrath agreed. Voters were also influenced by the administrators returning their salary increases for the year, and by the teachers' union agreeing to a zero percent increase to their base pay in 2011.

The decision to go with an incremental levy was a good one, Conrath said.

The levy will go into effect in January, with 3.9 additional mills to be placed on property tax bills. The following year, 1.5 mills will be added, followed by an additional 1.5 mills the next year.

In all, the levy will cost approximately $211 a year per $100,000 of valuation.

"The board reflected upon the outcome of the May election and came back with a levy phased in over time and one that was responsive to the economy," Conrath said.

Issue 49 campaign manager Jennifer Economus said hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life were the reason the levy passed.

"Everybody was so motivated and willing to go above and beyond," she said. "Whether they had students in the district or not did not matter. It was a community issue."

Board member Marc Schare said the levy passed because it was a reasonable millage and the first new collection of operating money in five years.

"Now that is secured, the hard work will begin," he said.

The board and community must now figure out how to maintain so that reasonable levies can sustain the district in the future. Currently, the five-year forecast shows another levy will be needed in 2012.

cbrooks@thisweeknews.com