Voters in three Northwest Indiana school districts have approved extensions of school funding measures that pay for teacher salaries, transportation and academic programming.
Lake Central School Corp., Hanover Community School Corp. and Duneland School Corp. all sought renewal of their operating referendums during special elections held on Tuesday.
The districts were seeking to maintain the additional property tax levies as revenues are anticipated to significantly decline due to Senate Enrolled Act 1, signed into law by Gov. Mike Braun in April, which is set to reduce property taxes across the state by around $1.3 billion over the next three years. Meanwhile, school districts in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties are set to lose nearly $115 million in tax revenue during that time period.
Under the property tax reforms, homeowners will see gradually increasing deductions over the next few years that will lower the amount taxable on their primary residence. Additionally, the law includes a new tax credit that’ll allow them to take 10%, up to a maximum of $300, off the amount billed on their primary residence.
Unofficial results Tuesday night showed out of 8,640 votes cast, over 59% of voters supported renewing Lake Central’s referendum at an increased rate of 26.14 cents per $100 of net assessed value for another eight years. The rate is currently at 17 cents.
It was first approved by voters with over 53% support in 2018.
The referendum is expected to provide the district with $17.7 million, with the measure previously being used to hire school resource officers, nurses, reading specialists and math coaches, help maintain smaller class sizes and support Advanced Placement and dual credit courses.
Speaking to referendum supporters at an election night gathering at Andorra Banquets and Catering in Schererville Tuesday night, Superintendent Larry Veracco expressed gratitude to the effort of volunteers throughout the past few weeks.
“It was a gigantic team effort, and that’s how we were able to be successful in something that’s tougher than, honestly, I think it should be, but we have to accept it for what it is,” he said.
Duneland schools also asked voters to renew its referendum at an increased rate, from 22 cents to 39 cents per $100 of net assessed value for eight years. With nearly 5,270 votes cast, the measure was backed by nearly 62% of voters, according to unofficial results.
The referendum is anticipated to generate over $16 million annually for the district and will continue to provide competitive salaries in order to attract and retain teachers and staff, pay for SROs, counselors, academic interventionists and instructional coaches, and expand its AP, dual credit and career technical education offerings, according to the district.
The referendum was first approved by voters in 2012 and was extended with over 73% support in 2019.
Superintendent Chip Pettit said in a statement that he was pleased the Duneland community continued to put kids first.
“We hate to have to ask Duneland taxpayers to make up for the loss of tax revenue the district is going to see but appreciate that the community is fully committed to having the best public schools possible,” Pettit wrote in an email Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, voters narrowly backed Hanover schools referendum, with unofficial results showing, out of over 3,200 votes cast, nearly 53% of voters supported its eight-year renewal. Voters had first approved the measure in 2015 and renewed it with 60% support in 2020.
Unlike Lake Central and Duneland, Hanover sought a renewal at its current rate of 29 cents per $100 of net assessed value.
In a statement to The Times, Superintendent Mary Tracy-MacAulay said the district was grateful for the community’s support in the referendum renewal.
“This ensures that our students will continue to benefit from the outstanding opportunities that define Hanover,” she said. “This is a Wildcat win.”
The referendum is set to generate over $5 million annually for the district, and will be used to provide transportation services for students who live more than a mile from school, teacher retention, maintaining class sizes and keeping SROs in each school building, according to the district.
The three referendums were among the last ones to take place during an off-year special election in Indiana.
Included in SEA 1 was a provision that limited all school referendum ballot questions to general elections in even-numbered years starting July 1. However, all three districts were able to seek referendum renewals this year due to an exception included in the law for school boards that passed a resolution to seek a referendum on the November ballot by June 30.
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