Support for the Indianapolis Public Schools renovations plan was so strong last week that every precinct in the district voted for it, despite the tax increase it would bring. In the days before the election, supporters drew positive reactions from voters, but they still worried whether that would be enough to bring victory.
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EARLIER: Voters have approved the Indianapolis school district's request for a $278 million bond issue to pay for school renovations. The election was one of the first tests of a state law that gives voters a direct say in whether to raise taxes for large school building projects.
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FROM OCTOBER 2008: Indianapolis Public Schools has asked voters to allow the district to raise taxes to renovate and repair 32 district schools. But what it's not telling voters is that the district actually intends to close four of those schools -- and it refuses, at least for now, to tell voters which ones.
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Voters in the Indianapolis school district are less than two weeks away from their first chance to decide for themselves whether should raise taxes to fix dozens of schools. Until now, a proposal like the $278 million request in Indianapolis would have been decided by a school board, but a new state law lets taxpayers make the call. The money would be used for repairs and renovations at 32 schools--installing air conditioning, repairing roofs, making buildings accessible to the handicapped and adding technology.
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FROM JULY 2008: Voters will decide whether Indianapolis Public Schools can raise taxes over the next 20 years to pay for $278 million in school renovations, the county announced this week. Nearly 230 voters signed petitions requesting that the item be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot, exceeding the 100 required to bring the question to the public. It will be among the first referendums on school building projects under a new state law designed to give property taxpayers more say in how their money is spent. Evansville Vanderburgh County Schools also will have a building project on its November ballot. (Indianapolis Star)
The Indianapolis Public School Board has approved spending $278 million on repairs and renovations, a move that could be the first test of a stateaw that calls for voters to OK large school building projects. If at least 100 taxpayers or voters sign a petition seeking such a referendum, voters would get to decide the measure Nov. 4. The funds would pay for two new school buildings and air conditioning, security systems, handicapped-accessible entryways, electrical work, wireless Internet access, kindergarten rooms and playgrounds at dozens of other schools. (Indianapolis Star)
FROM JUNE 2008: Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White wants voters later this year to approve $278 million in bonds for school improvements. The district has released documents detailing which schools will get repairs and when they will occur. About 30 elementary schools would get major repairs or renovations, including air conditioning, roofing, electrical work, wireless Internet, playgrounds, enhanced security at doors and new security systems. School 78 and School 103 would be rebuilt. Three high schools -- Arlington, Manual and Tech -- would see repairs. No middle schools would. (Indianapolis Star)
