Upper Arlington voters rejected Issue 7, the district's combined $273.5 million bond and 4.9-mill operating levy, with approximately 51% voting against the measure.
Unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections show the measure vote split, ABC 6 reported. The district conceded defeat in a statement released at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Results are unofficial.
| Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
Against Issue 7 | 51.4% | 11,164 |
For Issue 7 | 48.6% | 10,535 |
100.0% | 21,699 |
Source: Unofficial results, Franklin County Board of Elections, as reported Nov. 3, 2026. District statement.
"This is a tough moment, but the voters have spoken, and we respect their decision," Superintendent Robert Hunt said in the district's statement.
What was on the ballot
Issue 7 bundled two measures. A $273.5 million bond would have financed the second phase of the district's facilities master plan. A permanent 4.9-mill property tax levy would have funded continued academic programming, according to the district.
The bond would have paid for rebuilding Hastings Middle School, rebuilding and expanding Burbank Early Childhood School, and renovating the original three-story section of Jones Middle School while constructing new learning spaces around it, according to the Dispatch.
The first phase of the district's master improvement plan involved improvements at five elementary schools and a new high school. That process began in 2017, according to the Dispatch.
Had voters approved Issue 7, the combined tax increase would have been approximately $1,250 per year for a home valued at $500,000, according to the district.
What happens next
Without bond funding, the district said its operating budget becomes the main source of money for building repairs. That budget will also take a hit from the loss of the operating levy, the district said.
Hunt estimated the needed repairs at about $125 million, comparable to one year’s operating budget, ABC 6 reported.
"We'll probably look at that from a short term," Hunt told ABC 6. "What needs to happen in the next one to three years, and then what has to happen three to five years out."
Parent Sally Wolfe, who gathered with supporters at Carsonie's on Lane Avenue on election night, said she understood why voters opposed a tax increase but believed investing in the schools would have been worthwhile.
The Board of Education and district administration said they intend to share a plan with the community by the end of the year, according to the district's statement. The statement did not specify whether that plan would be presented at a board meeting, a community forum or in another format.
