An Elkhart schools bus leaves the transportation center on Wednesday afternoon. In an effort to compensate for reduced funding in transportation caused by tax caps, the district has pushed out its walk boundaries to two miles and lengthened the elementary school day. Staff photo by Santiago Flores
In the wake of voters rejecting a referendum that would've infused $28 million into the schools, Mishawaka Superintendent Terry Barker recently delivered a long slate of budget-slashing ideas to the public.
Just before that, he made a prediction.
"The reality is, we are on the front end" of many, he said, "We just got here first."
Less than a week later, Elkhart schools Superintendent Robert Haworth told his board a similar story of money woes.
Circuit Breaker tax caps, meant to provide relief to property owners, reduced Elkhart schools' levies-generated revenue by $4.8 million -- some 52 percent -- last year, Haworth said.
Compounding that, are the district's facilities needs, he said, which include safety upgrades to schools and two 40-year-old swimming pools that need significant repairs.
But the most pressing necessity, Haworth said, is in the district's transportation operating fund.
Copyright © 2024, South Bend Tribune