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South-Western City Schools, Ohio, elections

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South-Western City Schools
School Board badge.png
District details
School board members: 5
Next election: November 4, 2025
Students: 21,766 (2022-2023)
Schools: 34 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

South-Western City Schools is a school district in Ohio (Franklin County). During the 2023 school year, 21,766 students attended one of the district's 34 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates are running in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Image of Chris Boso
Chris Boso (Nonpartisan)
Image of Camille Peterson
Camille Peterson (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
Chelsea Alkire (Nonpartisan)
Image of Kelly Dillon
Kelly Dillon (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
Steve Feucht (Nonpartisan)
Jason Gocha (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large (2 seats)

Denise D'Angelo Steele and Julie Liskany defeated incumbent Anthony Caldwell and incumbent Lee Schreiner in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Denise D'Angelo Steele
Denise D'Angelo Steele (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
27.3
 
15,940
Image of Julie Liskany
Julie Liskany (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
25.5
 
14,902
Image of Anthony Caldwell
Anthony Caldwell (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
24.8
 
14,451
Image of Lee Schreiner
Lee Schreiner (Nonpartisan)
 
22.4
 
13,062

Total votes: 58,355
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

Chris Boso, Kelli Martindale, and incumbent Cathy Johnson defeated Jamie Shumaker and incumbent David Donofrio in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Boso
Chris Boso (Nonpartisan)
 
23.1
 
10,234
Image of Kelli Martindale
Kelli Martindale (Nonpartisan)
 
22.8
 
10,082
Image of Cathy Johnson
Cathy Johnson (Nonpartisan)
 
20.0
 
8,838
Jamie Shumaker (Nonpartisan)
 
18.6
 
8,247
Image of David Donofrio
David Donofrio (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
15.4
 
6,823

Total votes: 44,224
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large (2 seats)

Anthony Caldwell and incumbent Robert Ragland won election in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Anthony Caldwell
Anthony Caldwell (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
51.7
 
10,070
Robert Ragland (Nonpartisan)
 
48.3
 
9,400

Total votes: 19,470
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

Incumbent David Donofrio, incumbent Cathy Johnson, incumbent Robert Ragland, and incumbent Lee Schreiner won election in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large on November 7, 2017.

Candidate
Image of David Donofrio
David Donofrio (Nonpartisan)
Image of Cathy Johnson
Cathy Johnson (Nonpartisan)
Robert Ragland (Nonpartisan)
Image of Lee Schreiner
Lee Schreiner (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large

Incumbent Mindy Garverick and incumbent Randy Reisling won election in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education At-large on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
Image of Mindy Garverick
Mindy Garverick (Nonpartisan)
Image of Randy Reisling
Randy Reisling (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board nonpartisan primary elections in Ohio are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in May every two years in odd-numbered years in districts that opt to hold primary elections. Only some school districts hold primary elections, while most do not.

School board general elections in Ohio are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law:

Ohio Statute Section 3501.01 and Ohio Statue Section 3501.01

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts with elected board members in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts with elected board members in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Primary election date: May 6, 2025
  • General election date: November 4, 2025

Election system

School board members in Ohio are elected through nonpartisan general elections. School boards can adopt resolutions to hold nonpartisan primary elections. Only some school districts hold primary elections, while many do not.

As of 2022, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District was the only district classified as a municipal school district in Ohio. Its nine school board members are appointed by the mayor. School districts are classified as municipal school districts if they have been subject to "a federal court order requiring supervision and operational, fiscal, and personnel management of the district by the state superintendent of public instruction." State law requires a nine-member school board appointed by the mayor to control a municipal school district for four years after the district is released from the court order. After four years, a referendum is held for voters to decide whether to continue with an appointed board or to move to an elected board. In 2002, Cleveland voters approved a referendum to keep their school board appointed.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Ohio Statue Section 3513.256 and Ohio Statute Section Section 3311.71

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Ohio are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Ohio Statute states, "The name of each candidate for member of a city, local, or exempted village board of education shall appear on the nonpartisan ballot." Statute governing the nonpartisan ballot lists the offices that must be included and states, "No name or designation of any political party nor any words, designations, or emblems descriptive of a candidate or the candidate's political affiliation, or indicative of the method by which such candidate was nominated or certified, shall be printed under or after any nonpartisan candidate's name which is printed on the ballot."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Ohio Statue Section 3513.254 and Section 3505.04

Winning an election

If a school district holds primaries, the candidates with the most votes advance to the general election. Candidates equaling twice the number of open seats on the board advance to the general election. The primary election is canceled unless more than twice as many candidates file as there are open seats on the board. School boards can adopt a resolution by a three-fifths vote to establish nonpartisan primary elections for board members.

The candidates with the most votes in the general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Ohio Statue Section 3513.256 and Ohio Statue Section 3313.02

Term length and staggering

School board members have four-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: State Statute Section 3313.09

School districts elect as close as to half of their school board members as possible at one general election, and the other half at a general election two years later. Most school districts have five or seven school board members, so two members (or four on a seven-member board) are elected at one general election, and three members are elected at a general election two years later.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Ohio Statue Section 3313.08

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School districts must elect all of their school board members at large from the whole district or, depending on the classification of the district, they can elect board members through a combination of some members elected at large and some members elected by sub-district. As of 2022, all public school districts elected their members at large only.

Schools classified as City School Districts can elect their school board members either at large or through a combination of members elected at large and members elected from sub-districts. As of 2022, all City School Districts elected their school board members at large only.

School districts classified as Local and Exempted Village Districts must elect all of their school board members at large from the whole district.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law:

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates in districts that have opted to hold a primary election must file by 4:00 pm on the ninetieth day before the primary election. Most school districts do not hold a primary

School board candidates in districts that have not opted to hold a primary election must file by 4:00 pm on the ninetieth day before the general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: State Statute Section 3513.256 and State Statute Section 3513.256


Newly elected school board members officially take office on the first day of January following their election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: State Statute Section 3313.09

 


About the district

School board

South-Western City Schools consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Denise D'Angelo SteeleAt Large20242027
Julie LiskanyAt Large20242027
Camille PetersonAt Large20242025
Chris BosoAt Large20222025
Kelli MartindaleAt Large20222025

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $31,481,000 $1,454 9%
Local: $158,317,000 $7,311 44%
State: $174,068,000 $8,039 48%
Total: $363,866,000 $16,804
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $353,521,000 $16,325
Total Current Expenditures: $276,651,000 $12,775
Instructional Expenditures: $180,866,000 $8,352 51%
Student and Staff Support: $25,331,000 $1,169 7%
Administration: $29,719,000 $1,372 8%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $40,735,000 $1,881 12%
Total Capital Outlay: $42,584,000 $1,966
Construction: $38,350,000 $1,771
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $3,103,000 $143
Interest on Debt: $11,577,000 $534

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 40 50-54 23 29 21-39 33 49
2018-2019 58 68 42 50 >=50 56 65
2017-2018 57 65-69 40 49 >=50 56 64
2016-2017 58 65-69 42 49 >=50 56 64
2015-2016 56 60-64 38 49 >=50 53 61
2014-2015 67 70-74 52 59 PS 63 71
2013-2014 76 75-79 63 69 PS 74 80
2012-2013 74 70-74 59 65 >=50 70 79
2011-2012 77 70-74 61 71 60-79 74 81
2010-2011 76 75-79 59 70 60-79 73 80

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 48 59 32 36 40-59 45 57
2018-2019 58 67 45 46 <50 55 65
2017-2018 57 65-69 40 45 >=50 58 64
2016-2017 56 65-69 43 44 >=50 58 62
2015-2016 48 50-54 35 37 >=50 46 53
2014-2015 75 75-79 64 68 PS 75 79
2013-2014 81 75-79 72 72 PS 82 84
2012-2013 78 70-74 68 71 >=50 77 82
2011-2012 79 70-74 67 72 60-79 77 83
2010-2011 79 75-79 65 73 >=80 79 82

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 87 80-89 80-84 80-84 PS 85-89 88
2018-2019 87 80-89 85-89 85-89 PS 85-89 87
2017-2018 87 70-79 85-89 75-79 PS 85-89 88
2016-2017 87 80-89 80-84 75-79 PS 75-79 91
2015-2016 86 80-89 85-89 70-74 PS 80-89 89
2014-2015 84 60-69 75-79 75-79 PS 80-89 87
2013-2014 85 70-79 80-84 70-74 PS 70-79 89
2012-2013 86 60-79 75-79 70-74 PS >=80 90
2011-2012 85 >=80 80-84 65-69 PS 80-89 88
2010-2011 83 60-79 70-74 65-69 >=50 >=80 87

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 21,766 0.3
2021-2022 21,699 0.2
2020-2021 21,654 -5.0
2019-2020 22,727 -0.2
2018-2019 22,780 -0.3
2017-2018 22,840 2.1
2016-2017 22,362 2.2
2015-2016 21,866 2.7
2014-2015 21,275 0.8
2013-2014 21,107 1.0
2012-2013 20,906 0.1
2011-2012 20,895 0.8
2010-2011 20,725 0.7
2009-2010 20,573 -4.0
2008-2009 21,398 -1.0
2007-2008 21,607 0.6
2006-2007 21,476 -0.5
2005-2006 21,583 0.2
2004-2005 21,545 1.5
2003-2004 21,230 1.1
2002-2003 20,987 2.9
2001-2002 20,369 5.7
2000-2001 19,216 1.5
1999-2000 18,933 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE South-Western City Schools (%) Ohio K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1 0.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 2.8 2.8
Black 17.2 16.8
Hispanic 19.7 7.3
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1
Two or More Races 7.4 6.2
White 52.9 66.6

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, South-Western City Schools had 1,189.80 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 18.29.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 28.47
Kindergarten: 82.27
Elementary: 502.93
Secondary: 568.35
Total: 1,189.80

South-Western City Schools employed 6.00 district administrators and 53.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 6.00
District Administrative Support: 106.10
School Administrators: 53.00
School Administrative Support: 133.00
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 310.96
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 3.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 31.50
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 4.00
Library/Media Support: 23.04
Student Support Services: 376.80
Other Support Services: 1,560.69

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

South-Western City Schools operates 34 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Alton Hall Elementary School512PK-4
Beulah Park Middle School6417-8
Bolton Crossing Elementary665PK-4
Buckeye Woods Elementary School753KG-4
Central Crossing High School1,6389-12
Darbydale Elementary School385KG-4
Darby Woods Elementary School527KG-4
East Franklin Elementary School242PK-4
Finland Elementary School355KG-4
Finland Middle School6377-8
Franklin Heights High School1,3389-12
Franklin Woods Intermediate School6235-6
Galloway Ridge Intermediate School7315-6
Grove City High School1,8819-12
Hayes Intermediate School4855-6
Highland Park Elementary School439KG-4
Holt Crossing Intermediate School6955-6
Jackson Middle School6757-8
James A Harmon Elementary School524PK-4
Jc Sommer Elementary School565KG-4
Monterey Elementary School426KG-4
Norton Middle School6787-8
Park Street Intermediate School7005-6
Pleasant View Middle School7617-8
Prairie Lincoln Elementary School529KG-4
Prairie Norton Elementary School504PK-4
Richard Avenue Elementary School375KG-4
South-Western Career Academy09-12
South-Western Preschool Center351PK-PK
Stiles Elementary School612PK-4
Stiles Family Center6PK-PK
The Bostic Head Start Center141PK-PK
West Franklin Elementary School476KG-4
Westland High School1,8329-12

About school boards

Education legislation in Ohio

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Ohio
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External links

  • Office website
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  • Footnotes