By HOLLY GASKILL
The operating referendum for the Southern Wells Community Schools District is on the ballot for renewal this fall.
This referendum has been in place since 2009, when the Indiana Board of Education made decisions that became a disadvantage to the budgets of smaller districts, like Southern Wells. If renewed, the referendum will maintain its 0.1270 percent property tax for the next eight years for those in the district.
It had been most recently approved in 2016 but will expire in 2023. The district is voting on its renewal this fall to avoid the additional cost of holding a special election next year.
In a fact sheet provided by Interim Superintendent Steve Darnell, it states that the referendum secures the employment of six teachers, two instructional aides and one custodian. Eliminating the referendum would increase class sizes and eliminate both career and technical education classes and three classified staff positions.
On the ballot, the phrasing of the referendum has changed from previous years to accommodate new state guidance. It will now include information regarding the percent increase the operating referendum adds to property taxes.
The question petitioning for the referendum will appear as follows: “Shall Southern Wells Community Schools continue to impose an increased property taxes paid to the school corporation by homeowners and businesses for eight years immediately following the holding of the referendum for the purpose of funding a Taxpayer Investment Plan which will include retaining teachers and staff, maintaining classroom sizes, and supporting career and college readiness programs and the Operations Fund with the renewal of the existing maximum referendum property tax rate of $0.127? The property tax increase requested in this referendum was originally approved by the voters in 2016 and originally increased the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a residence within the school corporation by 21.15 percent and originally increased the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a business property within the school corporation by 24.23 percent.”
holly@news-banner.com
