The South-Western City School District is Ohio's sixth largest public school district

School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

 located southwest of the city of Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

. The district serves nearly 20,000 students throughout the southwest quadrant of Franklin County

Franklin County, Ohio

Franklin County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. In 2010 the population was 1,163,414, making it the second largest county in Ohio and the 34th largest county in population in the United States. Franklin County is also the largest in the eight-county Columbus, Ohio...

, including the cities of Galloway

Galloway, Ohio

Galloway is an unincorporated community west of the city of Columbus in southern Prairie Township, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 43119 ZIP Code, however covers a significant portion of rural and suburban western Franklin County, as well as parts of western Columbus, and locals might...

, Georgesville

Georgesville, Ohio

Georgesville is an unincorporated community in western Pleasant Township, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is located southwest of Columbus, the county seat of Franklin County and the capital and largest city of Ohio. Georgesville lies at the confluence of Little Darby Creek and Big Darby...

, Grove City

Grove City, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,075 people, 10,265 households, and 7,544 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,941.2 people per square mile . There were 10,712 housing units at an average density of 768.0 per square mile...

, and Urbancrest

Urbancrest, Ohio

Urbancrest is a village in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 868 at the 2000 census. Urbancrest is in the South-Western City Schools District.-Geography:Urbancrest is located at ....

. The district also serves all of Franklin

Franklin Township, Franklin County, Ohio

Franklin Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 11,798 people in the township, 11,197 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

, Jackson

Jackson Township, Franklin County, Ohio

Jackson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 32,625 people in the township, 4,682 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

, Pleasant

Pleasant Township, Franklin County, Ohio

Pleasant Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,030 people in the township, 6,704 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

, and Prairie

Prairie Township, Franklin County, Ohio

Prairie Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 17,118 people in the township, 17,058 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township, and 60 of whom lived in the now-defunct village of New Rome.-Geography:Located in...

 townships and a portion of Columbus.

The district operates 16 elementary schools, five intermediate schools, five middle schools, four high schools, and a career academy.

Elementary

• Alton Hall Elementary School
• Buckeye Woods Elementary School
• Darbydale Elementary School
• Darby Woods Elementary School
• East Franklin Elementary School
• Finland Elementary School
• Harmon Elementary School (formerly South Franklin Elementary School)
• Highland Park Elementary School
• Monterey Elementary School
• North Franklin Elementary School
• Prairie Lincoln Elementary School
• Prairie Norton Elementary School
• Richard Avenue Elementary School
• J.C. Sommer Elementary School
• Stiles Elementary School
• West Franklin Elementary School

Intermediate

• Franklin Woods Intermediate School
• Galloway Ridge Intermediate School
• Hayes Intermediate School
• Holt Crossing Intermediate School
• Park Street Intermediate School

Secondary

• Central Crossing High School (2002)
• Franklin Heights High School (1956)
• Grove City High School (1970)
• South-Western Career Academy
  South-Western Career Academy (Grove City, Ohio)
  South-Western Career Academy is a facility in which students of the four high schools in the South-Western City Schools district can choose to attend, starting in their Junior year.-Affiliated schools:* Central Crossing High School...
  
   (2002)
• Westland High School
  Westland High School (Galloway, Ohio)
  Westland High School is a public high school located in Galloway, Ohio. It is one of 4 high schools in the South-Western City Schools District. SWCS is located in the southwestern portion of Franklin County in Columbus, Ohio...
  
  (1970)

Funding

SWCS has always had issues with funding. While they passed a property-tax school levy on their third try in May of 2005, a drop in funding from the state as well as other factors such as a spike in gas prices forced the school district to make more than 14 million dollars in reductions after passing the levy. In November 2006 they attempted to pass another levy, a 1% income tax, it was defeated. Fortunately, due to a relatively warm winter and several other items, they only needed to cut one million dollars out of the following year's budget. They decided not to try to pass a levy in May 2007 in hopes that the state budget, re-done in summer of 2007, would provide more funding. The district was again on the ballot November 2008 for additional operating expenses and an Ohio School Facilities Commission building project with the state offering nearly $206 million in tobacco settlement funds to the district and again this bond issue and levy was defeated and the Ohio School Facilities Commission Funding is no longer available. The school board voted in February 2009 to cut all extra-curricular activities and high school busing as well as additional positions in order to shrink the district budget. The district went back on the ballot for another operating levy in May 2009 and again in August 2009 in hopes to reinstate these programs. Both attempts failed and the district started the 2009-2010 school year with no extra-curricular activities, high school busing, etc.



With a projected deficit for the 2009-2010 school year, another levy attempt was made for November 2009. Known as Issue 47, it was the last attempt for increased tax revenues in calendar year 2010 and the possible reinstatment of some extra-curricular activities for the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year. Without the passage of this levy, the district would not have been able to collect additional tax revenues in 2010 and would have continued to fall deeper into a deficit. The issue passed with 19,579 (50.58%) for to 19,130 (49.42%) against via the preliminary count results.







The School Board members are:



Karen Dover

Cathy Johnson

Mindy Garverick

Jo Ellen Myers

Randy Reisling