Bexley voters will decide this fall whether to approve a $115 million facilities package that would reshape the district’s middle-school campus, repair aging buildings and upgrade athletic spaces. The centerpiece is a new middle school at the Cassingham Complex, where more than 600 students would move into a self-contained building with its own cafeteria and gym.
The Bexley Board of Education voted 4-0 to place the proposal on the November 3 ballot, according to NBC4 WCMH-TV. The plan combines a 2.05-mill property-tax request with a 0.5% school income tax, funding the first phase of what the district describes as a broader, three-part facilities plan.
How Bexley’s $115 Million School Package Would Be Funded
The property-tax portion is expected to generate about $28.5 million, while the income-tax portion would raise roughly $85 million, according to Bexley City Schools. The district’s existing 2.05-mill bond is scheduled to expire in 2027, which officials say would offset the new property-tax request and largely keep the rate paid by homeowners at today’s level.
For a rough example, the district estimates that the property-tax portion would cost about $72 annually per $100,000 of a home’s appraised value. A household with $100,000 in modified adjusted gross income would pay approximately $500 per year through the income tax, while Social Security benefits would not be subject to that tax.
New Middle School Would Address Cassingham Congestion
About $82 million of the package is earmarked for the new middle school, which would be built on the current softball field at the Cassingham Complex. The building would offer more flexible classrooms for science, technology, engineering and hands-on instruction, with groundbreaking targeted for summer 2028 and an opening planned for fall 2030 if voters approve the request.
The proposal is aimed at easing a space crunch that currently affects Cassingham Elementary, Bexley Middle School and Bexley High School, which are connected on the same campus. High school students sometimes eat in second-floor hallways or leave campus because of limited cafeteria seating, while the existing middle-school space could temporarily serve another school during later renovations, according to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Repairs, Stadium Work And Turf Add To The Price Tag
The remaining funds include about $24 million for essential repairs, $4 million for stadium maintenance and safety work, and $5 million for field and surface improvements at Maryland and Montrose elementary schools. A 2024 facilities assessment estimated that nearly $22 million in essential repairs could be needed within five years, including work on heating and cooling systems, roofs, boilers, windows, drainage and fire alarms.
Artificial turf has become the package’s most politically combustible piece. Bexley residents have signed a petition opposing turf, citing potential health effects, environmental concerns and the loss of natural green space, while the district says improved surfaces would provide more reliable field access after rain and snow and help serve a district with more than 750 student-athletes.
The district says the facilities package is only Phase I, with later work potentially involving high school renovations, elementary additions, redevelopment of the current middle-school space and land purchased on Cassady Avenue. Design work and community input are expected to continue through 2027, but a levy rejection would stop the proposed middle school and the rest of Phase I from moving forward as currently outlined.
