Using the Law to Protect Our Schools

As a candidate for Scioto Township Trustee, I believe leadership means knowing the law, using it to protect residents, and never looking the other way when our schools, services, and families are at risk.

Right now, developers are trying to push more than 1,200 homes into the Teays Valley School District — through a legal loophole buried in a township road.

It’s called the centerline clause (ORC 709.023(C)(1)). And the decision comes down to three trustees.

The law is clear. Trustees must do two things before June 25 to stop this reckless annexation:

1. Refuse to sign the road service agreement.

2. Formally object in writing to the Pickaway County Commissioners.

If they do that, the annexation fails — and our schools catch a break.

Because the truth is this: overcrowded schools hurt the most vulnerable students first. Class sizes grow. Services shrink. And when redistricting comes, it’s families with the fewest options who lose the most.

This isn’t about stopping growth altogether. It’s about doing it responsibly — with infrastructure and school readiness in place.

The Circleville Herald reported it clearly on June 21:

“That Service Agreement may not be valid and binding until the Scioto Township Trustees also sign it. Attorneys on all sides are looking into this.”

No road agreement + a formal objection = No annexation.

The deadline is June 25. Trustees have the power. Residents are watching. And as trustee, I will never hesitate to act when our schools, roads, and taxpayers are on the line.