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Voters heading to the polls Tuesday will decide whether to approve or reject a $95 million tax measure for Indianapolis Public Schools and charters.
Leaders of both the district and local charters say the revenue is crucial for a variety of programs and staffing. Out of the total funding, $63 million would go to programming, including services for students with disabilities and students learning English. The remaining $32 million would support staff retention and professional development.
The newly formed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation is overseeing the referendum for the first time this year, after assuming the taxing powers previously held by IPS.
The stakes attached to the referendum are especially high for IPS. Last week, IPEC Executive Director Karega Rausch echoed a warning from district Superintendent Aleesia Johnson that if the tax measure fails, the district could face insolvency and a state takeover. And even if it passes, IPS expects to make $20 million in budget cuts, a plan that underscores the district’s long-term fiscal challenges.
Roughly 60 charter schools would also receive about half of the funding from the referendum.
IPEC plans to create a tracker so that people can track referendum spending, and Rausch pledged that “not a dime” of the money would go to IPEC.
The referendum would impose a tax rate of 37 cents per $100 of a home’s assessed value. The ballot language approved by IPEC notes that for a home assessed at $150,000, voters would pay an additional $221 under the referendum. Referendum advocates have said the actual increase would be less, because voters approved a 2018 referendum for schools and have been paying roughly 19 cents per $100 of a home’s assessed value since then.
The Yes for Indianapolis Public Education campaign is backing the referendum. Its leaders include former Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson and former IPS board president Diane Arnold.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day. Voting locations are available here.
Chalkbeat’s guide to the IPS referendum is available here.
This story will be updated throughout the evening with election results as they become available.
Andrew Ujifusa is a story editor at Chalkbeat.
