Westerville Levy Narrowly Passes

Westerville Schools will not face major cuts after a school levy passed by a 51-to-49 percent margin Tuesday. The 585-vote victory follows a 7,400-vote defeat in November. The five-year emergency levy is expected to generate $16.54 million annually for the district and cost homeowners $211 for every $100,000 of property value. District leaders said the levy's failure would have forced major budgets cuts to sports, extracurricular activities, high school elective classes, and several optional academic programs. The margin of victory is also expected to be large enough to avoid a recount.