Join Chalkbeat Indiana’s free every day e-newsletter to maintain up with Indianapolis Public Faculties, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide schooling information.
It’s a quiet election season in Indiana, however voters in six college districts will quickly resolve whether or not to assist property tax measures that might fund instructor salaries, transportation, and scholar programming.
Avon Group Faculties, Cannelton Metropolis Faculty Company, Duneland Faculty Company, Hanover Faculty Company, Lake Central Faculty Company, and Northwest Allen Group faculties all have working referendums on the poll on November 4.
This yr’s referendums are a check case in voter assist at a time when Indiana is reducing property taxes and growing how a lot of that funding some districts should share with constitution faculties.
Many count on to increase much less working income by means of taxes over the subsequent decade because of the caps positioned by a sweeping property tax reform regulation handed earlier this yr — a marketing campaign precedence for Gov. Mike Braun.
That regulation, generally known as SEA 1, additionally restricted when faculties might run referendums to solely normal statewide elections, quite than throughout any main or normal election. That’s given districts fewer alternatives to cross a referendum. Nevertheless, there’s an exception for subsequent month’s native election for varsity boards that handed a decision earlier than June 30 to put a referendum on the November poll.
Superintendents mentioned the outcomes of this election will decide whether or not their districts can begin constructing new buildings on schedule, and whether or not they should make choices about layoffs in Could.
“Nobody takes pleasure in doing referendums, however it’s a actuality for faculties,” mentioned Hanover Superintendent Mary Tracy-MacAulay.
One other new regulation requires college districts to regularly start sharing working income — together with referendum funds — with constitution faculties, if at the very least 100 college students representing 2% of the district’s inhabitants attend brick-and-mortar constitution faculties.
Listed below are the six college districts with referendums on the poll.
Avon Group Faculty Company, Hendricks County
Sort: Renewal
Property tax price: 33 cents per $100 of assessed worth for eight years
Whole income: $14,334,998 yearly
Highlights from the spending plan: $8.4 million for sustaining lowered class sizes, $4.8 million for educational helps and alternatives, $1.1 million for aggressive compensation to draw and retain lecturers.
Avon faculties noticed firsthand the consequences of a failed referendum in 2011, mentioned Superintendent Scott Wyndham. Workers reductions led to bigger class sizes that persevered till the district efficiently handed a referendum in 2018.
Now, the district hopes to resume that referendum at a decrease price of 33 cents per $100 of assessed worth, in comparison with 35 cents as handed in 2018, with the intention to preserve its smaller class sizes and proceed funding scholar golf equipment and actions at Avon Excessive Faculty.
The stakes are excessive for this referendum. With out the choice to run a referendum within the Could main elections, Wyndham mentioned the district must know this yr if it should make employees cuts earlier than the subsequent college yr. If the district have been to attend and fail to cross a referendum in November 2026, state regulation would bar them from submitting discount in power notices till Could 2027. That would depart 170 positions with no supply of funding.
Wyndham mentioned he’s inspired by the neighborhood effort to cross the referendum — significantly a bunch of volunteers who’ve been door-knocking and making cellphone calls.
Cannelton Metropolis Faculty Company, Perry County
A spending plan was not accessible for Cannelton Metropolis Faculties on the Division of Native Authorities Finance web site. Neither the district — which consists of a single college — nor the Perry County Auditor returned requests for info from Chalkbeat.
Duneland Faculty Company, Porter County
Sort: Renewal
Property tax price: 39 cents per $100 of assessed worth for eight years
Whole income: $16,179,502 yearly
Highlights from the spending plan: $8 million for sustaining class sizes, $3.3 million for attracting and retaining lecturers, $2.4 million for scholar well being and security initiatives.
Duneland college officers hope a renewal of its working referendum will assist the district mitigate the impacts of SEA 1. A district evaluation discovered it will lose over $1 million in 2026 alone because of the brand new regulation, mentioned Superintendent Chip Pettit.
The renewal would enable the district to take care of class sizes and numerous actions, in addition to recruit lecturers, college useful resource officers, counselors, and nurses. If it doesn’t cross, the district will attempt to keep away from unilateral cuts, however should make reductions, Pettit mentioned.
“I really feel very lucky that the neighborhood has supported us on this approach, we don’t take that without any consideration,” he mentioned.
Hanover Faculty Company, Lake County
Sort: Renewal
Property tax price: 29 cents per $100 of assessed worth for eight years
Whole income: $5,160,173 yearly
Highlights from the spending plan: $2.5 million for managing class sizes, $1.5 million for bus transportation, $759,000 for safety measures.
Bus service is probably at stake in Hanover faculties if this yr’s referendum renewal doesn’t cross, mentioned Tracy-MacAulay, the superintendent. The referendum would additionally assist lecturers, bus screens, and faculty useful resource officers.
Dropping the funding would result in troublesome choices about what cuts to make — particularly because the district grapples with the consequences of SEA 1, and one other requirement to pay for college kids’ textbook charges.
“Ultimately, I must have a look at all positions with the board and make choices to chop,” she mentioned. “We will’t surrender SROs, we’re not going to begin reducing lecturers, we might probably take away bus service.”
Previous Hanover district referendum elections have been shut. A 2019 building referendum failed by 68 votes, main the district to strive one other referendum the next yr that handed.
Lake Central Faculty Company, Lake County
Sort: Renewal
Property tax price: 26 cents per $100 of assessed worth for eight years
Whole income: $17,772,0331 yearly
Highlights from the spending plan: $12 million for retaining lecturers and employees, $2 million for sustaining class sizes, $1.7 million for scholar well being and security initiatives.
Lake Central didn’t reply to a request for an interview.
Northwest Allen Group Faculties, Allen County
Sort: New
Property tax price: 0.27 per $100 of assessed worth for 8 years
Whole income: $12,156,914 yearly
Highlights from the spending plan: $5.1 million for attracting and retaining lecturers, $2.7 million for educational assist staffing in any respect buildings, $2.2 million for staffing at a brand new Profession and Technical Schooling facility
This yr’s working referendum is the primary for Northwest Allen faculties. However it’s been deliberate for over a yr, by means of focus teams and neighborhood suggestions concerning the district’s subsequent decade, Superintendent Wayne Barker mentioned.
One widespread request the district heard throughout that course of was for extra personalised studying, which the district hopes to meet by means of a brand new profession and technical schooling facility on the highschool campus. Whereas the district can construct the ability with out extra income like a capital referendum, it wants the working referendum to rent lecturers and employees, Barker mentioned.
“We do a great job making ready youngsters for school, however we might do a greater job making ready youngsters for all times,” Barker mentioned, characterizing the suggestions the district obtained.
The district hopes to place the constructing out to bid in November if the referendum passes, with the intention to open the ability in 2027.
Barker mentioned the referendum can also be meant to boost instructor salaries by $3,000 with the intention to make the district extra aggressive with neighboring districts, and so as to add college useful resource officers to satisfy beneficial ratios.
Northwest Allen receives round $8 million lower than the state common in annual funding, in keeping with district information.
“We’ve been doing extra with much less for a very long time,” Barker mentioned.
Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana schooling coverage and writes about Okay-12 faculties throughout the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.
