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A referendum is a voter-approved source of revenue that Indiana public schools may utilize to pay for costs that are not fully covered by the state. Referendums have been in widespread use across the state since 2010. At West Lafayette Community School Corporation, referendum funds pay for salaries and benefits for more than 50 teachers. Referendum funds also pay for custodial/maintenance and transportation costs, including wages, salaries, benefits and equipment.
Any registered voter who resides within the West Lafayette Community School Corporation boundaries may vote on the referendum as part of the November 3, 2026 general election. Visit indianavoters.in.gov to check your registration status or register to vote.
In 2023, voters overwhelmingly approved a renewal of the same tax rate that was initially approved by voters in 2010. The same rate was also approved by voters in 2017. In 2025, Indiana approved property tax reform legislation (Senate Enrolled Act 1 - SEA 1) that reduces funding to schools and cities. Due to the details of these reforms, which have the effect of shrinking net assessed valuations, West Lafayette Community School Corporation will collect about $1.6 million less revenue by 2031 than it otherwise would. WLCSC is running a referendum now to maintain existing revenue and, by extension, programs and staffing.
If voters approve the referendum, the school corporation's current referendum tax rate of 37 cents per $100 assessed valuation will be replaced by a rate of up to 57.06 cents. However, the Board of Trustees would levy only at the rate necessary to generate previously projected revenue. This strategy preserves existing staffing and education programming.
If the referendum is approved, revenue would continue to be used to retain and attract teachers and staff, fund academic programming, and provide needed operating expenditures. It would support teaching by providing for teacher and staff compensation for managing class sizes and academic programming. Currently, referendum funds pay for salaries and benefits for about 50 teachers. Referendum funds also pay for expenditures in custodial/maintenance and transportation, including wages, salaries, benefits and equipment. While the levy would reflect a rate increase, the school district would continue to collect approximately the same amount of revenue annually as it did with the previous referendum.
Generally speaking, the referendum will have minimal tax impact – your taxes may stay the same, increase slightly or decrease slightly. An owner-occupied home with an assessed value of $350,000 – once all deductions and credits were applied – would see a bill of $670 under the current 37-cent rate. The same house is estimated to have a $708 tax bill under a rate set to maintain the existing revenue for the school corporation.
The impact for your home may be different. There isn't a single 'average' property tax bill that tells the full story for homeowners in the West Lafayette school district. While we can estimate general ranges, an individual tax bill is determined by factors that vary from property to property, most notably changes in assessed value, eligibility for deductions and credits, local tax rates, and whether the property is impacted by circuit breaker caps.
Even with recent changes under Senate Enrolled Act 1, those variables don't affect every homeowner the same way. Two homes with similar market values can see different tax outcomes depending on their specific circumstances. As a result, what one homeowner experiences, whether that's an increase, decrease, or little change, may not reflect what their neighbor sees.
No. Your tax bill will not increase by $956/year. This language is required by the state to indicate the total amount of school tax from the referendum, including the amount approved by voters in 2010 and renewed in 2017 and 2023. Mandated ballot language is based on the premise that any particular school district does not already have in place an operating referendum fund. But because West Lafayette schools already have a voter-approved referendum, and depending on the value of your home and your qualifications for tax relief, your taxes may decrease, stay the same, or increase by a few dollars each year compared to your 2026 actual school taxes paid.
Not initially and possibly not at any time. The Board of Trustees is expected to phase in the tax rate starting in 2027 with gradual increases until 2031, applying rates only as needed to ensure that total revenue collected remains stable.
In a scenario shown to the school board in May, the referendum's tax rate on an owner-occupied home with an assessed value of $350,000 – once all deductions were applied – would bring a bill of $670 under the current 37-cent rate. The owner of the same house in 2031 would pay $665 under the maximum 57.06-cent rate. This is due to SEA 1 legislation that provides a phased in reduction in net assessed value, increasing each year from 2027 through 2031.
No. Your taxes are likely to increase due to your property increasing in value. Taxes on a home valued at $350,000 are not expected to increase due to the school's operating levy, but homes at different values could see a slight increase or even a slight decrease.
When it comes to financial management, the school district is watching every dollar, as evidenced, in part, by having established $448,000 in recurring savings through:
- Aligning staffing with enrollment trends through attrition
- Implementing efficiencies in service and material contracts
- Ongoing analysis of every expenditure, to maximize efficiency without cutting essential programs
While the school corporation is aware of the possibility that external factors could alter current circumstances and projections, we think the most balanced and responsible approach is to set a tax rate and levy that allows us to maintain current staffing and programming while continually balancing cost savings with educational quality.
We will know the final referendum tax rate after the Board of Trustees approves the budget on October 1, after Net Assessed Value has been determined by Tippecanoe County officials.
While the school corporation could draw on reserves, that represents a one-time opportunity to use money from a fund that would then be depleted and would not be available to cover the ongoing, year-after-year loss of revenue created by SEA 1.
An individual tax bill is driven by several factors that vary from property to property. As a result, an increase in the referendum rate may result in an increase, decrease, or little change to each homeowner's bill. The school corporation has no control over this tax impact. The bottom line is that the legislation creates an annual revenue shortfall for the school corporation, which the district has chosen to fill by asking voters to support an increase in the tax rate.
If the referendum is not approved, the current tax rate of 37 cents will remain in effect until 2031, resulting in the revenue loss cited above.
Referendum revenue makes up nearly a quarter of the total revenue received annually by the school corporation. While West Lafayette schools have established significant savings through various actions and efficiencies - $448,000 in recurring savings – the corporation cannot make up for the losses created by SEA 1.
Without that revenue, the district would choose to take a number of actions to balance the budget, including making budget reductions or spending fund balances (the district's savings account) in order to balance the budget. Because the vast majority of district expenditures are for people, layoffs would be likely. Teacher layoffs would result in increased class sizes and reductions in programs. The Board of Trustees has not designated how it would address the loss of this revenue.