Prior to 1955
Property annexed by a municipality was automatically
transferred to that municipality's school district. Therefore city school
districts and the cities they served shared common borders. When the city's
borders changed the school district's borders were changed as well.
1955
In 1955 the Ohio General Assembly eliminated the requirement
that cities and their corresponding city school districts have common borders.
The decision-making authority regarding transfers of school district
territories after 1955 was granted to the newly created State Board of
Education. As a result of this change it became common for city school district
boundaries to vary widely from the boundaries of the city they served.
1950's -70's
The City of Columbus implemented a policy of using water and
sewer agreements to aggressively annex unincorporated land into the city. These
policies resulted in tremendous population and economic growth that moved
Columbus' boundaries into suburban school districts, thus annexing land into
the city that had been in the suburban school district for generations. As the
city grew into suburban districts the suburban districts continued to serve the
families that lived in their district even though the property was now a part
of the City of Columbus. However, because the property was now annexed into the
City of Columbus, the Columbus City Schools could, under Ohio law, petition the
State Board of Education to transfer the properties in question into the
Columbus School District.
1971
The Ohio State Board of Education approved Columbus City
Schools' request to annex valuable parcels that had previously been located in
Grandview Heights into the Columbus City School District. In exchange, Columbus
City Schools agreed to absorb the Mifflin School District. Residents of the
suburban districts became concerned that they would be subject to a territory
transfer out of the district in which they had always lived. Suburban districts themselves became
concerned not only about losing their students, but also about losing tax
revenue from non-residential properties that might be transferred. Many suburban school district officials
suggested that Columbus Schools were targeting commercial properties with a
valuable tax base, and voiced concerns about the fiscal stability of suburban
districts facing continued property and tax base losses to Columbus City
Schools. Strong opposition to Columbus Schools' continued growth arose from
suburban school districts who wanted to protect their investment in facilities
and who wanted to serve families whose goal was to send their children to the
school in the community with which they historically identified.
1980
Columbus City Schools announced that it was considering a
request for the transfer of territory of all annexed land into the school
district. The Ohio General Assembly then
placed a two year moratorium on all territory transfer requests relating to
annexation. Concerned legislators asked school officials to work out a solution
to the growing "turf war" over the changing school district
boundaries. In 1982, when little progress was made toward arriving at an
agreeable solution, the General Assembly extended the moratorium for another
two years, but stated they would not renew it again in 1986. Once again, the
districts were directed to develop permanent boundary and annexation
agreements.
1986
Community and education leaders convened a series of
negotiations with the Franklin County school district officials. Led by a
nationally-renowned conflict resolution consultant, these officials eventually
reached an agreement that would finally put an end to the uncertainty regarding
territory transfers relating to annexation. Columbus City Schools and eleven
adjacent districts negotiated the “Joint Agreement Among and Between the Boards
of Education of Certain School Districts in Franklin County, Ohio”, nicknamed
“Win-Win” after the negotiating technique of give and take that led to the
agreement's adoption. The agreement established mechanisms to predict school district
boundaries among the member districts. It set procedures for Columbus to
acquire new territory in the future, and established revenue sharing between
Columbus City Schools and the suburban districts.
1986 - Present
Both Columbus City Schools and the suburban districts
(including New Albany-Plain Local Schools) have gained by identifying mutual
growth corridors, economic development, shared revenue, and the ability to
successfully plan for the long term. Today, when unincorporated land is annexed
into a municipality it is served by the school district of that municipality.
The Win-Win Agreement was re-authorized by all twelve originating schools in
1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010; with the exception of Reynoldsburg City Schools,
which opted out of the agreement in 1998.
