PATASKALA, Ohio (WCMH) — Southwest Licking School District has a $115 million bond issue on the May 6 ballot.  

The money would be used to build a new middle school, an addition to the high school, and a new training facility in partnership with the YMCA.  

The bond issue would cost homeowners $12.25 per $100,000 of their home’s value.

Southwest Licking Superintendent Dr. Kasey Perkins said current district buildings are already near capacity, and more space is needed.  

The district did pass a bond issue back in 2017, but Perkins said the new schools still aren’t enough.  

“At that time, they predicted our enrollment next year to be at 4,200 kids,” Perkins said. “We are currently at 5,120.” 

If the bond issue passes, the superintendent said Southwest Licking won’t have to go back to voters to build more schools ever again.  

“We have projected growth for 30 years and beyond, and these buildings will be built to cover that growth, so at no time will we need additional spacing for our kids,” Perkins said. 

Ross Musick, a father of four Southwest Licking students and the president of SWL for Kids, said the bond money is needed. He said the cost to build the schools will only increase over time.  

“If we kick the can down the road because we think there’s some magic potion or some big answer that’s going to come from somewhere else or the kids aren’t going to show up, that’s just not a realistic scenario,” Musick said.  

On top of building a new middle school for fifth and sixth-grade students and an addition to the high school, 20 percent of the bond money would go toward constructing a training facility called The Spear. It would be a private-public partnership between the school district and the YMCA, complete with an indoor pool, pickleball courts, an indoor track, and a playground.  

Voter Christine Boles said this is too much for Southwest Licking to ask of community members.

“I’m retired, so I mean, you’re going to have to force retired people just about out of their homes because they can’t afford to pay the taxes,” Boles said. “We have two pools in the neighborhood that are having trouble keeping their memberships up and that kind of thing. And I don’t think the schools need to be involved in that.”  

For more information about the bond issue, including a tax calculator, click here.