PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Go down most roads in Pickerington and you’ll see the signs.
Just a few days away from arguably the biggest decision the district has ever made, many people are showing support through yard signs. It’s a direct result from Tom Dains and about 50 volunteers from Vote4PickKids.
“Yeah, so over the past couple months we’ve been out knocking on doors,” Dains said. “We’ve sent out mail and text messages, we’ve been talking at HOA meetings. We’ve really pulled out all of the stops.”
The $90 million bond issue, if passed, would not increase property taxes, according to the district, but would build a new junior high school and provide renovations to buildings as well as add classrooms to both North and Central high schools.
“I wouldn’t say [I’m] nervous,” Dains, the Vote4PickKids chairman said. “I’d say confident, but I’m always cautiously optimistic.”
Dains said most people seem to be on the same page with a ‘yes’ vote. Still, though, he knows not everyone agrees.
For him, it’s about the overcrowding, which has been documented in recent videos and photos released by the district. He said whereas the population has grown more than 30 percent in the last 10 years, schools have not and teachers are struggling.
“They feel it,” he said. “They’re the ones that are having to have classes held in gymnasiums and in hallways. They’ve had to pull lockers out of the hallways. I’ve even heard of people having to have classes in teacher break rooms.”
The previous two measures have failed. If it fails again, the district says it will be forced to implement remote learning, modular buildings and redistrict.