The funding of K-12 education across this nation is pretty much a mess. And the efforts of former Gov. Mitch Daniels to fix it for Indiana haven't worked out so well for School City of Mishawaka.
With the Nov. 5 defeat of an SCM referendum to increase property taxes to fund $28 million in capital projects, the schools are left with some seriously needed repairs for which there might not be a fix for several years.
In part, this stems from Indiana General Assembly action in 2008 which capped local tax collections and changed how large new funding requests are decided. Instead of petitioning for permission to raise taxes, schools must now put such requests on a ballot and let voters decide.
As much as we all may like voter control, such referendums don't always serve the greater good. If taxpayers aren't feeling generous, the most deserving increase can be rejected. Then it's the children in the classroom who pay the price.
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