Wayne Township Voters to Decide 2026 Operating Referendum on November 3

Ballot question would fund daily school operations; district cites significant funding gap from state property tax caps

Wayne Township voters will decide a ballot question this November that will determine how the community funds its public schools for years to come.

The Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township has placed an operating referendum question on the November 3, 2026 ballot. If approved, the measure would fund daily school operations — including recruiting and retaining classroom teachers, student safety and security, transportation, custodians, utilities, and technology — for up to eight years.

Why the District Says a Referendum Is Needed

Indiana's property tax caps, commonly known as the "circuit breaker," limit how much any property owner can pay in taxes — 1% of assessed value for homeowners, 2% for rental and farm property, and 3% for business property. When a property's tax bill hits that cap, schools do not collect the difference.

Wayne Township lost $21.3 million to the circuit breaker in 2025 alone, and more than $184 million over the past 12 years (2014–2025). In 2025, the district was certified to collect $25.4 million for operations but received just $4.1 million.

"After the circuit breaker, Wayne received $280 per student in 2025 to fund all daily operations. The state average is $1,923," said Superintendent Dr. Shenia Suggs. Wayne Township ranks 289th out of Indiana's 290 school districts in per-student operations funding.

What the District Has Already Done

Before placing the referendum on the ballot, the district reduced spending through a series of cost-reduction measures, including eliminating 108 positions, withholding employee raises for the 2025–26 school year, reducing overtime, renegotiating vendor contracts, launching energy-saving measures, switching to black-and-white printing, and extending the use of curricular materials before replacing them. Combined, these measures amount to $10 million in budget cuts. Despite the funding pressure, Wayne Township holds an A+ bond rating from Standard & Poor's, reflecting strong financial management.

Understanding the Ballot Question

The referendum would replace — not add to — the district's existing 2019 referendum, which carries a rate of $0.35 per $100 of assessed value and is set to expire in 2027. The School has approved a ceiling of $0.70 per $100 of assessed value to provide flexibility over the measure's eight-year term, but the district expects to certify a rate of $0.60 in year one based on current projections.

Indiana law requires the ballot itself to display a specific estimate: the maximum $0.70 rate, calculated as though the property owner currently pays no referendum tax. For a $200,000 home, that calculation produces a figure of $605 per year. This figure does not reflect the increase the average homeowner (for a $200,000 home) will actually see on their tax bill, since it does not account for the $0.35 rate residents already pay under the existing referendum.

Based on the district's expected $0.60 rate, the net increase for most homeowners would be $0.25 per $100 of assessed value — approximately $199 per year, or $16.60 per month, for a $200,000 home.

What Happens If the Referendum Does Not Pass

If voters do not approve the referendum, the current $0.35 referendum rate will expire as scheduled in 2027 and will not be replaced, leaving a projected $20 million shortfall for the 2027–2028 school year. Combined with the $10 million in cuts already made, district officials say closing a gap of that size would require the School Board to consider a range of additional measures, including:

• Eliminating the HOSTS Volunteer program
• Expanding walk zones and increasing bus ride times
• Outsourcing custodial, grounds, and maintenance services
• Increasing class sizes
• Restructuring the Wayne Township Preschool Program
• Continuing to withhold employee raises
• Restructuring Ben Davis University High School
• Closing an elementary school and redistricting students, which would affect every family in the district
• Additional cuts beyond this list to close the full $20 million gap

Key Dates

• Voter registration deadline: October 5, 2026
• Early voting begins: October 6, 2026
• Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Residents can check their voter registration status or find their polling location at indianavoters.in.gov.

Learn More

The district has published interactive tax calculators and additional information at wayne.k12.in.us/referendum, where residents can estimate their own household's impact at both the $0.60 and $0.70 rates.

“This decision belongs to the community, and we trust our community,” Dr. Suggs said. “Our role between now and November 3 is to provide clear, factual information—not to persuade. We encourage every resident to learn about the referendum, understand what it would mean for our schools and community, and exercise their right to vote.”