South-Western City Schools voters approved Issue 6 on Tuesday, authorizing a $220 million bond that will replace Grove City High School and Westland High School, according to unofficial results reported by The Columbus Dispatch, with all precincts reporting. The measure passed with 66% of the vote to 34% against; the district’s own facilities page likewise confirms that voters approved Issue 6. Results remain unofficial pending certification.
The bond is 2.26 mills for 38 years, estimated at $79 per $100,000 of county auditor-assessed valuation, with the first tax year due in 2027, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections’ official Notice of Election. The district marketed the issue as no new millage: as The Columbus Dispatch reported, citing a district spokesperson, existing bond debt being retired in December offsets the new mills at the current tax rate.
The ballot language authorizes constructing, furnishing and equipping a new Grove City High School and a new Westland High School, with related site improvements, plus renovating, repairing and expanding other school facilities, according to the Board of Elections notice. Both schools originally opened in 1971 and are now more than 55 years old, with the age, safety, maintenance and modernization challenges the district detailed on its Ohio Facilities Construction Commission Segment 3 page.
Passage also secures approximately $113 million from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission through its Classroom Facilities Assistance Program, paired with the local $220 million, according to The Columbus Dispatch, citing information provided by the district; had the issue failed, the district said, the state funds would have gone to another district on the waitlist. The bond additionally funds targeted facilities enhancements at Central Crossing High School and Franklin Heights High School, and the district said after passage that athletic turf will be installed at Central Crossing, Franklin Heights and Westland, joining Grove City High School.
The new Grove City and Westland buildings will be built on their existing campuses, and students will continue attending the current schools throughout construction, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The district’s Segment 3 timeline puts design in 2027, construction beginning in 2028, and the new buildings opening in late summer 2031 for the 2031-32 school year, after a design-and-construction span of about four and a half years.
Board President Camille Peterson said in a statement reported by The Columbus Dispatch: “This is a defining moment for the future of South Western City Schools,” adding, “We are not just constructing buildings; we are profoundly improving the daily learning environment for every student who walks through our doors.” Superintendent Randy Banks said in a statement reported by The Columbus Dispatch that passage “paves the way for transformational improvements across our entire high school network,” and thanked voters for recognizing the value of investing in students. South-Western is Ohio’s fifth-largest district, serving 21,924 students in 2025-26 across 34 schools in southwest Franklin County, according to National Center for Education Statistics data.