From the Indianapolis Star:
...It's pretty clear what will happen if a referendum to raise local school taxes does not pass. Teachers will lose their jobs. Academic programs will be cut.
In fact, it's already happened. The Zionsville School Board has already voted to cut what amounts to nearly 17 full-time positions from the district's payroll to help close a $2.5 million budget gap. That vote was made in order to meet a May 1 deadline to notify teachers that they may lose their jobs.
But when they cast that vote, school officials told voters it could be reversed if the referendum passes.
Such promises, however, have not quieted opponents of the referendum, namely Zionsville Taxpayers for Responsible Education, which is urging residents to reject the added tax. Among their arguments: Teacher salaries have increased while many elsewhere in the community have remained stagnant.
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The referendum would increase the local school tax to 24.44 cents per $100 of assessed value -- which school officials say will add up to about $239 extra per year for a $200,000 home. A similar measure in November 2010 failed as voters rejected a 29.5-cent increase. The rejection resulted in layoffs for 21 teaching and counseling positions.
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"We have cut, outsourced and downsized since 2008," Robison said. "If we must proceed with this year's reductions, we will have lost more than 60 teachers and counselors while adding more than 750 new students since 2006.
"This operating referendum is about reversing overcrowded classes and restoring science, foreign language and more that has been lost."
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"We don't want to do this or any referendum, but this is the only way that Indiana law allows public school districts to reverse revenue loss," he said. "We favor funding formula change, and the ZCS chief financial officer and I are working with state officials toward a more equitable solution for all Indiana students."
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http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012205050330
