LEBANON, Indiana — When students at Central Elementary School in Lebanon head to the classroom, some have to head back outside to get there.
They're learning in a portable classroom because every other space in the building is full.
"We already have a wonderful culture here, but what we don't have is the space to build on that," said Abbie Samson, whose daughter is in kindergarten. "As new families are coming in, they don't fit into the school physically. We can't get more people in here."
It's a tight squeeze. Administrators say Central, last renovated more than 30 years ago, is also landlocked.
"It has really no room to grow, and we have a lot of students there," said Jen Totterud, who works for the school corporation.
As Lebanon continues to grow, the district wants to build a new school a few miles away — at John-Bart and Fordice roads.
It would be Lebanon's first new elementary school in 20 years. Central would be repurposed for other district uses.
The other existing elementary schools would undergo renovations. To do that, voters will be asked to approve a referendum on the May ballot.
Another referendum would provide money to "attract, retain and provide benefits for employees and ... take over positions that are temporarily provided by grants ... including the school corporation's police department."
The capital referendum is what the district calls "tax neutral" compared to the 2022 school tax rate. That's because the capital referendum would replace the current capital referendum rate with another identical rate.
The operating referendum would result in "a slight increase in the school tax rate," according to the district's website.
The district has provided an online tax calculator for homeowners and business owners to figure out the additional impact for the operating referendum.
For example, someone who lives in a home assessed at $150,000 could pay up to $97.88 per year more in taxes.
District leaders said they're hoping voters see the value.
"Lebanon is really a special place, and we have a lot of great opportunities here," said Todderd. "And so to see the potential of where we could be and preparing for that growth to continue to come is really exciting."
Click here to read more details on the referendums.
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