Referendum Information
Indianapolis voters overwhelmingly approved the IPS tax referenda on the November 6, 2018 general election ballot.
These referenda are necessary to fund competitive employee compensation, provide services to the high proportion of special needs students, make safety improvements in classrooms and continue providing the high levels of education our students deserve.
Operating Referendum
Funds from the operating referendum will support competitive teacher compensation, close funding gaps and provide appropriate levels of service to its high proportion of students with special needs.
Capital Referendum
The capital improvement referendum will generate up to $52M to fund the IPS Safety and Modernization Project which will provide all IPS-owned school buildings with safety and security enhancements including the following:
- Enhanced exterior lighting
- Technology upgrades
- Hardened exteriors
- Classroom safety upgrades
- Upgraded emergency communication system
The $52M capital referendum proposes a local property levy of no more than $0.0332 on each $100 of assessed valuation. The estimated taxpayer impact on a home with a market value of $123,500 would be $1.33 per month. The capital referendum taxes only applies to property owners within the IPS district.
IPS Deferred Maintenance Breakdown
IPS has diligently disposed of several of our unused properties, generated cash to supplement current budgets, and reduced the cost of utilities and deferred maintenance.
Several years ago, IPS enlisted the help of IPS maintenance employees and the firm of Shiel Sexton to develop a list of district-wide building needs and their associated costs.
Details include:
- District-owned buildings that have been sold, are in the process of being sold, or will close at the end of the 2017-18 school year.
- Takeover schools where the district is still providing daily maintenance but has no intention of investing maintenance dollars.
- The district does not intend to continue to use Thomas Carr Howe and Emmerich Manual High Schools for educational purposes after the current charter operators contract ends. The total associated costs the district will avoid paying is $199,438,218.
- Deferred maintenance in currently occupied schools that is not included in the proposed referendum.
- The current long range plan and the referendum status of projects from 2014 through 2020 that still need to be completed.
You can view a school-by-school breakdown by visiting our interactive dashboard. This should be viewed on a desktop computer for optimum experience.