By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
It’s come as an unwelcome surprise to several landowners in the Bowling Green City School District that without their consent, their properties were included in petitions to secede from the district.
Unbeknownst to them, their lands were put in the petitions as properties were patched together to gerrymander an exit route from Bowling Green. Some are devastated for their children. Some are angry that the farmers behind the petitions are willing to accept subsidies, but unwilling to pay their share of taxes.
And it may come as a surprise to some of those who signed the petitions that their taxes will actually go up when they move to other districts – since Bowling Green City School District’s combined property and income tax rates are lower than the five other districts the petitioners want to move to, according to the Wood County Auditor’s Office.
Drs. Dave and Joy Barnes were horrified to see their home on Green Road was included in one of the petitions submitted. They did not consent, nor were they informed by the petitioners that their land was included.
“We never heard of the petition. They never came to our house,” Joy Barnes said.
Instead, the family was notified by a neighbor that their home had been put in the petition to be moved into the Otsego school district. Barnes said she has nothing against Otsego – but wants her children to stay in Bowling Green schools.
The news has upset the family so much that they are looking at selling the home that they just built an addition on last year.
“We’re preparing to put our house on the market,” Barnes said. “We planned on being here forever.”
The family has five children, two who attend Conneaut Elementary School. One of their children has special needs, and the parents don’t want to move him to a new district.
“We have a connection there. We have a lot of support there,” Barnes said of their son’s experience with Bowling Green City Schools. “They have been phenomenal.”
The family could use open enrollment to keep their children in Bowling Green schools, but there is no guarantee they could return to Conneaut Elementary since the open enrolled children have to go to the school with the most space for additional students.
Mike Daniels, of Steen Road, also was not consulted before his property was included in a petition to move to the Elmwood district.
“We’re both pretty upset that we could be moved to another district,” said Daniels, who with his wife, Kelli, are alumni of Bowling Green schools. “I want to support my alma mater.”
He suggested that the big landowners behind the petitions have no one to blame but themselves for their tax bills.
“To be honest, I find this treasonous,” Daniels said. “I feel if they couldn’t afford the property taxes, they shouldn’t have bought the property.”
When he learned of the petition, Daniels said he looked up the tax subsidies that the petitioners have received.
“They have no problem, trust me, taking our money,” he said. “They’ve received considerable amounts of money from subsidies. That’s our money. They’ll take our money, but they won’t give any of it back.”
Daniels pointed out that the petitioners were very strategic, by leaving out areas like Arlington Woods and the community of Rudolph – which he believes would have voted against leaving the district.
The Daniels’ children graduated from BGHS. “They both had great experiences there,” he said. Elmwood is also a good district, he said, but it doesn’t offer the same breadth of opportunities that Bowling Green offers.
“The kids that leave are really going to be at a disadvantage,” he said.
Daniels said his wife is planning to make a flyer and go door-to-door to notify their neighbors about their opportunity to vote on the petitions.
“If nobody knows about it, it’s going to go through,” he said.
It’s possible that many of the people whose properties were included in the petitions won’t be notified of their one chance to vote on moving to another school district.
Once the petitioned maps are presented to the Wood County Board of Elections, that office plans to put a list of the affected addresses on its website. But it appears there is no requirement that landowners be notified through the mail.
“We will try to provide all the information we can,” said Terry Burton of the Wood County Board of Elections. “We want to do the best we can for the voters.”
Some of those supporting the transfer to other districts may not realize that their taxes will actually go up.
According to the Wood County Auditor’s Office, Bowling Green School District’s income tax rate is lower than any of the other districts that petitioners want to switch to. The property tax rate in Patrick Henry is higher, and the library district taxes will be higher for those moved into Elmwood and Otsego school districts.
A chart with the agricultural/residential property taxes, income taxes, and library taxes for a home of $100,000 market value and median household income of $55,033 shows the following annual tax totals for each school district:
- Bowling Green: $1,177.01
- Patrick Henry: $1,929.01
- McComb: $1,615.08
- Elmwood: $1,464.88
- Otsego: $1,395.56
- Eastwood: $1,331.63
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.
Some of the petitioners represent a portion of the agricultural community and have been outspoken about what they see as an over-reliance on property taxes for the school district.
The same petitioners were also strong opponents to Bowling Green City School District’s plan to build one elementary school, stating that smaller neighborhood schools were preferable. However, three of the districts they are petitioning to enter – Eastwood, Elmwood and Otsego – all have consolidated school buildings.
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.
Bowling Green City School District will be required to foot the bill for the special election on Aug. 4.
