Northwest Allen County Schools continues to check off boxes as it works to place a $34 million referendum for a new elementary school and other improvements on the May ballot.
Community members are also stepping up to help with the referendum efforts.
The 7,500-student district wants to build an elementary school to accommodate growth. It has gained about 500 elementary students since 2009-10 and expects to add nearly 350 more by 2022-23, a recent demographic study found.
Referendums can help school districts fund major facilities projects, such as new construction and renovations. Property taxes approved by voters through referendums are not subject to property tax caps.
The referendum process includes collecting 500 signatures from registered voters and property owners to get a question on the ballot – an achievement the school district learned it accomplished last week, spokeswoman Lizette Downey said Monday.
In a matter of days, she said, the district collected more than 700 signatures following the school board's vote last month that propelled the referendum forward. Of the 716 signatures, 658 were valid, according to an official document.
A political action committee, Friends of Northwest Allen County Schools, has also been formed in support of the referendum.