By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Eleven of the 12 petitions seeking secession from Bowling Green City School District passed the signature requirements to get on the August ballot.
The one petition that did not pass muster involved property in Plain Township potentially moving to the Elmwood district. One valid signature was needed to put it on the ballot. The petition, circulated by Scott Apple, had two signatures – but neither were valid.
The Bowling Green Board of Education voted unanimously last month to acknowledge receipt of 12 petitions from rural landowners to secede to neighboring school districts.
The petitions ask that property be moved to various school districts – four areas have petitioned to join Elmwood, three to join Patrick Henry, two to join Eastwood, two to Otsego, and one to McComb.
The petitions were circulated by Grant Chamberlain, Richard Chamberlain, Nolan Chamberlain, Dan Wilson, Brian Smith, Scott Apple, Devin Dauterman, Josh Nutter, Jennifer Adler and Jeff Avery.
The petitions were turned over to the board of elections, which had to make sure there were enough valid signatures for the issues to appear on the ballot.
Each petition had to be signed by at least 10% of the area’s qualified voters who participated in the last general election, according to Terry Burton, of the Wood County Board of Elections.
Of the 11 that had enough signatures, nine had to have six or fewer valid signatures. Of the other two, one needed 21 signatures for acreage that included 468 eligible voters, and the other needed 27 signatures for acreage that included 547 eligible voters.
After the signatures were verified, the board of elections returned the petitions to Bowling Green City Schools on Thursday.
The next step will be for the school board to review the work done by the board of elections. If the school board finds the work sufficient, then the petitions will be sent back to the board of elections to put the issues on the August ballot.
“This is so new, almost nobody knows,” how the school district secession process works, Burton said.
Prior to the election, the exact voters allowed to cast ballots on the petitions will have to be determined. To do that, the boundaries of the petitioned areas may have to be clarified.
“I can’t speak to the legality of those,” Burton said of the maps.
“We’ll go back through this with a fine-tooth comb,” to make sure everyone permitted to vote is notified, and to make sure that only those in the petitioned areas are allowed to cast ballots.
Then it is up to all the registered voters in the petitioning areas to pass or fail the efforts.
“Everyone in the designated areas has the right to vote,” Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci said.
Burton said he isn’t sure how many acres are involved.
This is the first request made in Wood County under the new controversial law – Ohio Revised Code 3311.242 – that allows residents in certain townships to transfer to an adjoining school district if enough voters pass the measure on an election ballot.
The new law does not require officials to consider whether the transfer is in the best interest of the affected students. The previous law required the education of the students be considered.
It appears from the language in the Ohio Revised Code, that the boards of education and the township trustees have the ability to turn down the areas where the petitioners want to join.
If the issues make it on ballots, Bowling Green School District will be required to foot the bill for the special election.
“We will bear the full cost of putting that on the ballot,” Scruci said.
