Readers: go “directly to the source” on Noblesville School referendum information

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Dear Editor:

As Noblesville residents with children currently attending Noblesville Schools, we have experienced firsthand what makes this school system special. Our children have attended White River, Hinkle Creek, Noblesville West, and Noblesville High School.

We have also spent countless hours volunteering. I serve on the Noblesville Schools Education Foundation board, while Nic is involved with the Miller Backers, whose volunteers run concessions and return profits to school athletic programs and scholarships.

Our involvement has given us a deep appreciation for our schools, but it has also motivated us to understand the upcoming referendum. We have attended meetings, asked difficult questions, researched Indiana school funding, and reviewed the district’s finances.

One of the most important things we learned is that this referendum is largely about continuing funding already supporting our schools today. The current referendum, approved in 2018, expires at the end of this year. This money helps support teachers, class sizes, school safety, mental health services, and student programs. It cannot legally be used for new buildings, athletic facilities, construction projects, or debt.

We understand concerns about taxes and school spending. We share those concerns and believe accountability matters. Schools face rising costs just as our households do, but that doesn’t mean taxpayers should write a blank check. Noblesville Schools reports lowering its portion of the property tax rate for seven consecutive years, cutting approximately $4 million from its budget, reducing administrative leadership positions, freezing administrative salaries, and renegotiating contracts.

The financial consequences of losing this funding are significant. The current referendum provides approximately $25 million annually, about 20 percent of the district’s operating funding. According to the district’s contingency planning, even eliminating 20 percent of positions across every employee group would still leave a shortfall of millions of dollars. These are difficult realities, not numbers we should simply dismiss. This isn’t about scare tactics. It’s about understanding the financial reality and having an informed conversation.

We have also heard the argument that our community simply needs to step up, volunteer more, and create additional fundraising programs to support our schools. But here’s what people may not realize: Our community is already doing that. Every single day.

Last year, the Education Foundation’s largest fundraiser, Miller-Palooza, raised $180,000 through months of planning, hundreds of hours of volunteer work and the generosity of our community. Those funds go to staff appreciation, scholarships, programs and grants for both students and teachers. The Miller Backers generated another $105,000 to give back to school athletics and scholarships. Multiple volunteers dedicate as many as 20 hours a week to managing concessions, moving products, stocking inventory, and making their programs successful.

And these are just two organizations. There are countless parents, grandparents, businesses, and community members working behind the scenes, giving their time and resources to support our schools. So many people contribute in ways most of us never see.

Together, these two efforts generated $285,000 last year. That is something our community should be proud of. But even at that level, it would take nearly 88 times that amount every year to replace the $25 million in referendum funding.

The answer cannot simply be to ask our volunteers to do more. They are already giving so much. Fundraising and concessions are incredibly valuable, but they cannot replace the operating revenue needed to run our schools. Voting YES is the only way.

Noblesville is where we raise our families, support our neighbors, cheer from the sidelines, and watch our children grow. Our schools are an important part of what makes this community home, whether we have children attending them or not.

We encourage everyone to go directly to the source. Attend a meeting. Ask the hard questions. Review the financial documents on the district’s Dollars + $ense website. Use the referendum tax calculator. Don’t rely solely on what you read on social media.

This decision deserves more than a post or a meme. It deserves our time, our questions, and our attention.

As for the Smocks, we are voting YES. We firmly stand behind and endorse this referendum.

Samantha & Nicolas Smock
Noblesville