Mixed Results for Local School Levies

Results of the two school levies on last week’s ballot that were for funding new construction produced mixed results. Congratulations to the Northwestern School District for passing its combined property and income tax levy that will allow it to build two new schools to replace the three now being used. Unfortunately, the news wasn’t so good in the Northeastern District. It failed by about the same margin that the Northwestern levy passed – 44.57 percent for to 55.43 against. This isn’t just a setback for the students and residents of the Northeastern District, but it’s a setback for the community of Springfield and Clark County.
As I said a couple weeks ago, when companies look to locate to an area and residents to a school district, they ask about the quality of the school system. When the buildings aren’t conducive to learning, they look elsewhere. Looking at the bigger picture, it’s clear that the funding system in Ohio is flawed. Maybe we should use Pennsylvania as a model in how schools operate. Decisions, such as whether a district needs new buildings, are made by the school board. Ohio should look into that concept. Have a great Chamber day!

Another Potential "Win" For Springfield

News of the potential for an insurance services company locating in the Credit Life or Bushnell Building downtown can’t be understated. I feel confident it will happen. This is the kind of development that every city in the country seeks so the news that Insurance Claims Management of Eau Claire, Wisc. is “strongly considering” downtown Springfield as a location for “hundreds” of jobs is exciting to say the least for a number of reasons. One is obvious. Putting that many workers concentrated downtown is sure to spur other development. It also establishes us as a player in the insurance industry with Assurant Specialty Services, another insurance services provider, being the largest single-site employer in the county. We can continue to build on that segment of the market. With the downtown Ohio Valley Medical Center open, creating more than 100 jobs, the Springfield Regional Medical Center under construction downtown, the Center City Park expected to be completed next summer, a downtown ice arena to be built, the Buck Creek navigability project underway and Clark State’s recently announcing plans to build a $5.8 million Creative Arts and Conference Center, I wonder if any city our size or larger has this amount of activity taking place and doing it in tough economic times. Have a great Chamber day!