NWI: Three Districts Join 'Growing' List Asking Voters For Operating Dollars

Kyle Stokes on Instagram / StateImpact Indiana

More school districts are going to the voters asking for help passing general fund referenda.

Three school corporations in northwest Indiana, reports Carmen McCollum for The Times, are “joining a growing number of school districts” asking voters to raise their own property taxes to cover their operating expenses:

On May 7, the School Town of Munster, and the Metropolitan School District of Boone Township and the Union Township School Corp., both in Porter County, will be asking for a tax increase in voter referendums…

But the Great Recession that began in 2008 hindered sales tax revenue — which in turn reduced funding for schools. 

Educators also said their budget problems were caused as a result of statewide cuts to education during former Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration…

The chances for a general fund referendum passing are about 50-50 in Indiana… while a construction referendum has a 40 percent passage rate among Indiana schools.

As we reported during election season, voters in the Bartholomew County Consolidated Schools and Mt. Vernon Community Schools rejected requests to raise their own property taxes.

But voters in the northeast Indiana town of Hamilton approved an operating referendum district officials say was necessary to keep the school open.

We’ve also reported on the effects of statewide property tax caps on Indiana school budgets.