Majority of Indiana school referendums pass

Hoosiers supported a majority of referendums for public K-12 schools Tuesday despite widespread concern about property taxes in what was a record year for referendums.

The Indiana School Boards Association found voters supported 27 of the 39 referendums on the ballot this year, or about 70% passage rate.

ISBA Director Terry Spradlin described it as a paradox: In an election dominated by angst about the cost of living, many Hoosiers were still willing to pay more in property taxes to support their public schools.

“That’s quite a testament,” he said. “It really does signify that Hoosiers and voters and citizens really do believe in the power of public education.”

Where referendums failed

Twelve referendums failed Tuesday, including renewals for the Anderson, Franklin, Decatur, Sheridan and Smith-Green school districts.

The next chance for districts to seek a referendum won’t come until November 2028 due to referendum rule changes enacted through property tax reform legislation last year, which limit referendums to General Elections of even years when turnout is generally higher.

Budget cuts are anticipated in the interim.

“Without this funding, our district will face difficult decisions regarding the necessity to cut over $8 million from our budget by 2028,” Scott Collins, superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township south of Indianapolis, said in message to parents Tuesday.

District leadership will meet with the school board in the coming months to evaluate its financial situation, Collins wrote. The process will likely include staffing and programming cuts.

“We recognize the difficult financial decisions ahead and the significant challenges they present,” he wrote. “We remain committed to fiscal responsibility and transparency while working to limit the unavoidable impact on students, classrooms and educational services.”

In a statement Wednesday, Anderson Superintendent Joe Cronk said the incoming school board and superintendent will have to address the district’s budget shortfall in the months ahead after the renewal levy failed.

“There will be difficult decisions, and I do not have all the answers this morning,” he wrote. “Those decisions deserve careful thought, honest discussion, and a clear understanding of how they affect our students and staff.”

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Spradlin said there was no discernible demographic or regional trend behind the referendum losses.

In Johnson County, voters supported the referendum for Clark-Pleasant Community Schools but not the neighboring Franklin Community Schools.

Referendums for Indianapolis Public Schools and MSD of Washington Township passed, yet failed in nearby Decatur Township.

Five of the six referendums on the ballot in Hamilton County passed, with Sheridan Community Schools losing a $2.9 million operating ask.

Tuition boost?

The ISBA intends to push for a 6% minimum increase in state tuition support for public K-12 schools in the next biennial budget, which would restore K-12 funding to 2024 levels at a time when state revenues have outperformed forecasts, Spradlin said.

Lawmakers increased K-12 tuition support by 5% in the 2026-27 budget, but individual school districts received lower amounts due to enrollment factors.

Still, Spradlin said the cost of non-discretionary expenses like fuel, utilities, bus replacements and employee health insurance has far exceeded inflation, with many districts reporting health insurance increases in excess of 10%.

“Those kinds of things are outside the control of a CFO or superintendent,” he said.

House Democrat Leader Rep. Phil GiaQuinta — fresh off picking up 16 seats in the Indiana House — said one area his caucus will focus on is increased funding for public education. He said when he first arrived at the General Assembly in 2018, schools received upwards of 4% to 5% each year in new funding. But under the Republican supermajority that has dropped to 1% to 2% for schools in his district.

The midterm elections delivered unexpected leadership shakeups, with voters ousting Rep. Robert Behning, the House Education Committee chair.

Democrats will likely gain at least one new member on the committee too after they gained enough seats to break the GOP supermajority, which would grant the party more influence over education policy.