Why the Indianapolis teachers union opposes a proposed tax increase for city public schools
A who’s who of Indianapolis community and education leaders gathered Tuesday at the Shepherd Community Center for a campaign kickoff event in support of a tax referendum to raise money for the city’s public schools. But the absence of…
The Indianapolis teachers union, Indiana Education Association, opposes a proposed tax increase for city public schools. This is despite the revenue needed to prevent the district from reaching financial insolvency. IPS will only get half of the expected $95 million in annual revenue if the tax referendum passes in November. The Indiana General Assembly recently gave taxing powers to the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC), a new school oversight body.
If approved, the referendum revenue would help keep IPS from being taken over by the state. The tax increase would cost the average homeowner around $221 more per year on property taxes. However, IPS expects to make $20 million in further cuts if the tax increase passes. This has led to opposition from the IEA, which argues that it's unfair to ask voters to pay more in taxes while their schools face cuts.
IEA Vice President Monica Shellhamer said it's hard to support something while being cut. To reduce the need for budget cuts, IEA wants IPEC to allocate more funding for IPS. However, IPEC's distribution formula is based on the number of students who live within IPS boundaries and attend each participating charter school. A Democrat representative, Ed DeLaney, suggested that IPEC could allot additional referendum revenue for students who receive special education or transportation services. This could benefit IPS, which has a large deficit related to those services.
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