Noblesville Schools seeks community’s reapproval of operating referendum

Submitted by Noblesville Schools

Noblesville Schools will ask the community to vote this fall on an updated operating referendum. The Noblesville Schools Board of Trustees approved placing the question on the ballot at the June 9 meeting.

The district has had referendums providing additional operational funding for the last 16 years. If a new referendum is not approved, approximately $25 million per year in funding, which is about 20 percent of the district’s operating budget, will expire at the end of 2026.

Continued referendum funding would enable Noblesville Schools to advance key strategic priorities of academic excellence, student care and community strength.

Hile

“Noblesville residents gave us input recently on our strategic plan and told us loudly and clearly that they want us to focus on academic excellence, student care, and strong community relations,” Superintendent Dr. Dan Hile said. “Referendum funding is central to being able to deliver the types of services our community expects for students. For example, things like offering top STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programming, career and workforce development training, recruiting and retaining strong teachers, school safety, mental health services, extracurricular opportunities, and small class sizes. Without referendum funding, the district would face substantial reductions in staff, services, and programs that directly impact the children and the community we serve.”

The current referendum rate is 37 cents and the new proposed maximum rate is 57 cents. This proposed rate is higher than the 2018 rate because new SEA1 property tax legislation reduces funding for schools.

Noblesville Schools needs a higher maximum rate to bring in a comparable amount of money. The proposed maximum 57-cent rate will mean approximately $2.30 more a month for the average Noblesville home valued at $350,000, depending on your specific property tax situation.

Even with a referendum, the new SEA1 property tax legislation offers homeowners a “discount coupon” on their property taxes, so that taxes are lower than they would be otherwise. Additionally, while the maximum allowable rate would be 57 cents, the district does not plan to take that full rate each year.

“The cost of running our schools continues to increase at a time when state and local tax revenues are decreasing, and the funding gap continues to grow,” Hile said.

Since 2015, Noblesville Schools has lost $41 million in funding due to property tax caps, with millions more in additional losses projected over the next eight years due to the state’s new SEA1 property tax legislation.

Also, Noblesville Schools is in the bottom 6 percent of Indiana’s school funding formula, meaning that it receives fewer state dollars for student funding than 94 percent of other communities in Indiana.

“We’ve been able to maintain our academic excellence and care for students in this climate because of cost cutting, careful financial planning, and the operating referendum dollars we receive,” Hile said.

Residents can find more information about the referendum, including frequently asked questions, at noblesvilleschools.org/referendum.

Hile’s school board presentation on the referendum can be found here.

Additionally, Hile will present more referendum details and answer questions at various meetings throughout the community this summer and fall. If you’d like to invite him to meet with your group, you can submit a request here or email dan_hile@nobl.k12.in.us.