On May 5, Pickerington residents will head to the polls for a single, high-stakes decision: whether to tack a new 1.25% school income tax onto the district’s existing 1.0% levy to keep classrooms, electives and extracurriculars funded as enrollment climbs. District officials say the additional tax would bring in about $32.8 million a year and warn that without it they could run out of cash by 2028, which they say would trigger staffing and program cuts.
The measure on your ballot
According to the Pickerington Local School District, the school board voted in January to place a 1.25% traditional school income-tax proposal on the May 5 ballot. Like the district’s current 1.0% income tax, the new tax would exempt Social Security income and is estimated to generate approximately $32.8 million each year. The county's certified ballot list also describes the item as a 1.25% school district income tax that would begin in 2027 if voters approve it; the Franklin County certified issues list carries the official ballot language.
District warns cuts without new revenue
As reported by CW Columbus, Superintendent Dr. Charles Smialek says the district is "not adding programs" and is instead trying to maintain the current mix of academics, athletics and arts. Coverage from WCMH outlines what officials say could be on the chopping block if the measure fails, including field trips, some electives, reduced summer school and fewer athletic teams.
Numbers behind the ask
District financial documents from the Pickerington Local School District show that Pickerington has been running deficits since fiscal year 2022 and is projecting a negative cash balance by fiscal year 2028 if no new revenue comes in. The district also reports that enrollment has increased about 17% since 2011, that English-learner students now make up roughly 8% of the student population, and that administrators expect roughly 1,000 additional students between 2028 and 2030. District leaders say those trends helped drive the decision to seek more funding.
How the math plays out for taxpayers
Because Pickerington already has a 1.0% school income tax on the books, passage of the new 1.25% measure would bring the total to 2.25% for residents who currently pay the local school income tax. At the same time, the district notes that about 3.1 mills in property tax are set to expire at the end of 2026, a change that could lower property taxes by roughly $105 per $100,000 in home value, as reported by CW Columbus. For many households, the debate is less about abstract percentages and more about whether that property tax drop offsets the new income tax hit.
Campaigns and community reaction
Supporters have organized a Vote 4 PICK Kids campaign that leans heavily on the message of protecting classrooms and emphasizes that Social Security income would remain exempt. On the other side, some residents and neighborhood forums have questioned the timing of the request and the overall level of school taxes, arguing that families are already stretched. With the May 5 decision approaching, both camps are working town halls, mailers and local media coverage in a bid to sway undecided voters.
The measure will be decided on May 5, with the full ballot wording available from the Franklin County Board of Elections. For residents who want to dig into the numbers, the district’s town-hall presentations and five-year forecast are posted on the Pickerington Local School District website.
