Middle school safety at core of Groveport Madison levy ask

GROVEPORT, Ohio (WCMH) -- Groveport Madison Schools has a bond issue on the November ballot.  

If passed, bond issue 38 would address the district's growing student enrollment and help keep students safer by building three new, state-of-the-art middle schools.  

Two of the three Groveport Madison middle schools have very unique layouts. Middle School South and Middle School North were built in the early 1970s, and they have an open classroom concept, meaning there are virtually no interior walls or doors. This didn’t work well for the district, so temporary walls and curtains were erected.  

Middle School South principal Cody Bryson said the current situation makes for a very loud and distracting learning environment. On top of that, it’s a safety concern for students and staff.  

Watch: New middle schools at center of Groveport Madison levy

“It has created some questions and concerns of what does it look like in this open concept space to evacuate a building, to ensure that everybody is safe if we were to have an intruder or somebody in the building,” Bryson said.  

It’s something eighth-grade student Kali Bush has noticed as well.  

“When I see on the news or online about all these school shootings, it does concern me sometimes because my school doesn’t have doors and we have these temporary walls,” she said.

Lockdown drills at the two middle schools are not the same because of the temporary walls and curtains, and Bush said it can be scary to think about what might happen in the worst-case scenario.  

“At my elementary school, we had doors that we could close and stuff we could put in front of the doors,” she said. “Here we don’t have that. All we have is curtains and it’s not very safe for the children and the staff members.” 

Now Groveport Madison Schools is putting bond issue 38 on the ballot, which would tear down Middle School South and Middle School North and build three new middle schools.  

Currently, the district’s middle schools are for sixth through eighth graders, but the new middle schools would be for grades five through eight so more students can be accommodated at that level.  

Groveport Madison Schools Director of Communication Ty Debevoise said building new schools would also cost less than renovating the current buildings.  

“There have been upgrades that have taken place, but 21st-century buildings, new buildings come with a whole plethora of safety features,” Debevoise said.  

If passed, the bond issue would cost homeowners about $7 a month for every $100,000 of their property’s assessed value. 

When it comes to the voters, Groveport resident James Macharrie said more taxes will be a big ask for many people. He is leaning toward voting no.  

“I would rather people not get taxed so hard, you know, so I’m just thinking no,” he said. “But people want better schools and better situations for their kids, so it is a tough one. It’s a tough one." 

He believes the bond issue will be a difficult choice for many Groveport residents.  

“I just think what it’s really all about is taxes, so then you’ve got people who don’t want taxes on their houses and then you’ve got the people who want the taxes to improve the school situation,” Macharrie said. “So, you’re split right down the middle.” 

Election Day is Nov. 5 with early in-person voting beginning Oct. 8.