From the Muncie Star-Press:
On Nov. 5, voters in Center Township will decide the fate of school buses for Muncie Community Schools.
That, according to MCS Supt. Tim Heller, is the bottom line for the referendum the school district is proposing.“If the referendum does not pass,” he said last week, “the yellow school buses will not operate after the 2013-14 school year.”
Since announcing the referendum, district administrators and board members have been faced with questions concerning the timing of the election, the other options that might be available and where the money collected from a proposed property tax increase would go.
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In the case of Muncie Community Schools, it’s asking for an increase of 39 cents on each $100 of assessed property value. That would be an additional $65 dollars a year on a $75,000 home (the average home value in Center Township).
The actual wording on the ballot will be: “For the seven calendar years immediately following the hold of the referendum, shall the Muncie Community Schools impose a property tax rate that does not exceed 39.39 ($0.3939) cents on each one hundred dollars ($100) of assessed valuation and that is in addition to all other property tax levies imposed by the Muncie Community Schools.”
School districts in Indiana can ask for a referendum if, according to Indiana Code, they “cannot carry out its public educational duty unless it imposes a referendum tax levy” or if the district feels “that a referendum tax levy should be imposed to replace property tax revenue that the school corporation will not receive because of the application of circuit breaker credits.”
So far this year, seven districts have held referendum elections — five passed — for everything from building improvements to technology to security enhancements.
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013307210032
