Zionsville Schools Proposes Funding Referendum (IN)

May 27, 2010

Zionsville Schools chief financial officer Mike Shafer said Superintendent Scott Robison will propose to the School Board having a referendum for a tax levy to support the general operating budget.

Shafer discussed the option at this week’s School Board meeting. The proposal for how much the schools would expect to seek will be presented at the June 14 board meeting.

"It will be the board’s decision to move forward with that or not," Shafer said. "It’s something the administration feels it is something the board should consider quite carefully."

Shafer said the administration and the school board discussed about the budget reductions it has already made.

"We believe there are two options," Shafer said. "We can continue to operate without a referendum would result in some draconian cuts even from the level we’re already down to or the possibility to have a reasonable referendum to allow us to maintain to reach an equilibrium point to balance our revenue and expenditures."

Shafer said they recognize that equilibrium point would be a downsized school district from what it was a few years ago.

&#x 0A;The school made $2.1 million in cuts for the 2010-11 school year in April. Zionsville’s teachers agreeing to $1.4 million in one-year concessions, including freezing a contractually obligated 3.25 percent raise and stopping employer contributions to most teachers’ retirement plans.

Shafer said the school received $1.5 million less than it expected from the state in 2010.

Schools no longer received property taxes to help the general operating budget funding. Public schools are now funded only through state income tax and state sales tax.