Out of more than 38,000 ballots cast, Issue 47's margin of victory was a little more than 400 votes, 10TV's Patrick Bell reported.

The levy paves the way for district officials to reinstate athletics, busing and extracurricular activities that were slashed earlier this year when residents defeated another levy proposal.

Students and parents in the district were ecstatic.

"My dad came up and told me and I started crying because I was so happy," said Central Crossing High School student Rachel Aitcheson.

School board members were meeting Wednesday to lay out plans for hiring coaches, advisors and transportation workers.  Superintendent Dr. Bill Wise said busing will resume at the end of the month and extracurricular activities, including sports, will be reinstated this winter.

"The Ohio Capital Conference put together a contingency schedule, so we'll be back in competing this winter," Wise said. "As a matter of fact, our first contests start in about a month."

Students participating in sports and clubs will still encounter individual costs ranging from $20 to $150.

Even with the levy's passing, the district still needs to trim $15 million in order to stem projected spending increases, Bell reported.

Wise said he could not rule out job cuts.

"Anything is possible, especially with the state's budget the way it is," he said.  "But, at this point, we believe this will allow us to be solid and allow us to move forward without any staff reductions. However, if the performance audit calls for us to do more things, then we'll have to make additional adjustments."

Other Levy Results Mixed

Voters in other central Ohio school districts cast mixed ballots on Tuesday.

Voters approved levy issues in Marysville, Westerville and Worthington, while proposals were rejected in Reynoldsburg, Circleville, Logan Elm and Bloom-Carroll.

The proposal in Bloom-Carroll was defeated by just six votes.

In Reynoldsburg, administrators said they would have to cut an additional $3 million in spending after slashing $11 million earlier this year.

They believe extracurricular activities will be impacted in some form, along with advanced-placement classes, 10TV's Karina Nova reported.

"Support like guidance counselors and social workers, all those are on the table as well," said Superintendent Stephen Dackin.  "My point is that this district has gone 13 years without additional operating funds without the community."

Decisions on cuts will not be made until at least January, Nova reported.

The district has issued a freeze on all spending and two new schools under construction will not be used.

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November 4, 2009: Unofficial Results: South-Western Levy Passes

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