Indianapolis Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Tax for Charter and District Schools

Indianapolis voters on Election Day overwhelmingly backed the first-ever tax to be split between city and charter schools, a major step in a years-long movement by charter advocates to become equal partners in educating student .

Voters passed the tax 63% to 37%, to maintain funding for the Indianapolis Public Schools for four years, while giving charter schools, who now enroll more than half of the city’s students, a major win by handing them nearly $50 million a year in new money.

The district will still have to make $20 million in cuts to its schools, but would have had to cut $40 million more without the tax increase.

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

In a major surprise, the state legislator most responsible for the shared tax being on the ballot, State Rep. Robert Behning, was voted out of office.

District and charter school officials praised voters for accepting a tax increase they positioned as helping all students in the city.

Justin Ohlemiller, executive director of the pro-choice Stand For Children Indiana, said polling in the early summer showed support for taxes going to both the district and charters, but also reluctance from voters to pay more when gas and other prices are rising.

“You don’t need a poll to tell you that affordability as a top issue intensified a lot over the past four months or so,” Ohlemiller said. “The fact that we were able to eclipse 63%. I think it’s pretty significant.”

Behning, the most prominent legislator driving school choice in Indiana, was chair of the House Education Committee for 15 years and was the leading backer of vouchers and of school districts giving up local tax money to charter schools .

Behning was also author of the state law stripping power from the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board — including the ability to ask voters for more taxes — and giving it to the newly-created Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC) , a charter-heavy board that will also oversee busing for all students and the use of school buildings. The just-passed tax was the first sought by IPEC under that law.

Behning and charter advocates attributed his loss to the “blue wave” of Democrats in Indiana and nationally defeating Republicans that also included a defeat of Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston.

Behning said all Republicans on the ballot in Marion County lost, which he attributed to 145,000 straight ticket votes for Democrats with just 45,000 straight ticket Republican ballots. Indiana allows voters to choose one party in all races at once with a single ballot mark.

Though some residents have accused the legislature of undermining the district and forcing charter schools on the city, Behning believes support for charter schools is still strong in the city.

“The referendum passed easily,” Behning said, even as it increases property taxes $106 a year for the average homeowner. “So, I don’t think there was backlash at all based on IPEC. Everybody should be very pleased as far as that’s concerned.”

Related Shared Indianapolis Tax Would Boost Charters, but a Key Partnership Is Threatened

Scott Bess, founder of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center and member of the state school board, called Behning’s defeat “a huge surprise and a great loss for the students of Indiana.”

The $95 million tax gives schools, both district and charter, nearly $2,600 per student. The district will receive $46.4 million for its 18,000 students, essentially replacing an old tax that expires this year. About 60 charter schools would receive $48.6 million for their 18,850 students.

The district still must make $20 million in budget cuts, which CEO Aleesia Johnson said the school board will discuss this month. These include closing and consolidating schools and “right-sizing” its financial support of 30 “Innovation Schools.” Those schools, mostly charters that partner with the district, receive several million dollars of district support each year, through varying combinations of building use, maintenance and utilities, busing and technological support.

The district is seeking to recover those costs from Innovation charters, now that they receive local tax money.

The district and charter advocates would not directly address whether voters passed the tax to avoid greater cuts and possible state takeover of the district or whether including charters made the difference.

Related Indianapolis Already Leads on Charters. Now It’s Going Even Further

Some organizations in the city, including the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, had opposed previous tax proposals for not including charters, but backed this one.

“There’s no question that the possibility of significant cuts and state intervention contributed to the passage of the Indianapolis Public Education Corp (IPEC) referendum, especially in the final days leading up to Election Day,” said Susan Preble, the chamber’s vice president of state government affairs. “But I think what really made the difference was seeing Indianapolis Public Schools and public charter schools unify around a shared goal: doing what’s best for students.”