INDIANAPOLIS — When voters head to the polls in Pike Township next week, they'll have to decide whether to approve a tax hike to help out their local school district.
Administrators say the $14.5 million tax referendum would help boost pay, fund learning loss enhancement programs to catch students up who’ve fallen behind, and increase pay and resources for school safety and security. That would include additional resource officers and safety workers.
MSD Pike Township Supt. Larry Young, Jr. said federal COVID-19 relief funds paid for some of those expenditures the last three years.
“Those funds are going away at the end of this school year,” Young said. “But the need is still greatly there.”
Young said his district faces stiff competition for teachers and other certified staff in a county that has at least 11 other school districts.
“An educator who lives where they currently live, could be employed by (one of many area districts) without ever having to relocate, which makes it very competitive,” Young said.
For the average homeowner in that area with a house valued at about $237,000, it would cost another $24 per month. That equals out to about $288 more per year.
Young said he recognizes this is a tough time for some people as home values and tax assessments continue to rise, but he says Pike Township test scores are up, and the graduation rate is 96%.
“So we're on the right track, and an investment in our school district, our students, I believe is the best investment our residents in Pike can make,” Young said.
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