The Culver School Board has decided to proceed with a property tax referendum. Board members approved a resolution Monday to place an operating referendum on the November 6 ballot.
It asks voters for permission to raise property taxes by up to 17 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for an eight-year period. That money would be used to help fund teacher salaries and educational programs. The resolution says that without that funding, the “corporation will not be able to carry out its public educational duties,” based on current revenue projections.
Here’s the question that voters in Union, North Bend, Tippecanoe, and Aubbeenaubbee townships will see on November’s ballot:
“For the eight calendar years immediately following the holding of the referendum, shall the Culver Community Schools Corporation impose a property tax rate that does not exceed 17 cents on each of $100 of assessed valuation and that is in addition to all other taxes imposed by the school corporation for the purpose of funding academic and educationally-related programs, increasing student opportunities and student safety, managing class sizes, and attracting and retaining teachers?”
Superintendent Karen Shuman said school officials want to continue serving the community to the best of their abilities. “It’s just such a small increment,” she said. “We’re currently at the lowest part, across the State of Indiana, as far as how much we ask for the taxes. So to ask for a small increase to sustain us in the community and to help anything in the community grow – a lot of the not-for-profits that we do support in our building – I think it’s a great thing.”
School board member Karen Lee also spoke in support of the measure. “This is a very exciting time going on in our community with the new [housing] developments,” Lee said, “and we want to retain our teachers, keep them in our community, and give our students the curricular and extracurricular activities of art, music, FFA.”
Board member Ken VanDePutte felt that it’s a small but necessary request to keep up with teacher salaries and programs. He said the school corporation has been negatively impacted by the school funding formula for several years, and that if the community is moving forward, its schools can’t be left behind.
No comments were offered from the public.
