Pickerington Local schedules town halls before possible operating levy vote

Dr. Smialek, the district’s new administrator, told the board on July 7 that the administration will hold multiple town halls and a public presentation to explain the district’s finances and gather community input before asking for a formal levy vote.

"We are going to have a presentation, Pickerington School Finances, the facts, and that will be all things financial," Dr. Smialek said, outlining plans to cover class sizes, state and local funding, the district’s five-year forecast, enrollment projections and "potential implications of a failure to increase revenue." He confirmed two dates already set: Tuesday, July 15 at 6:00 p.m. at Violet Baptist Church and Monday, July 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the Jerry Garver YMCA; additional dates will be publicized.

The administration said there will be no vote on July 14 and that it will take the next several weeks to listen to community feedback. "We would like, to vote to ask you to vote, on that levy resolution at the July 28 board meeting," Dr. Smialek said, adding that a final recommendation to the board will follow what the administration hears at the outreach sessions.

The sessions are intended to give residents a neutral setting to hear information and to ask questions about the district’s budget and the potential tax implications. The administration framed the outreach as an explanatory effort aimed at fiscal transparency and said the recommendation to the board will reflect community input.

The board did not take any levy action at the July 7 meeting; the district will publicize times and locations for additional town halls once finalized.