INDIANAPOLIS — Voters largely approved the IPS referendum that will send hundreds of millions of dollars to more than a dozen schools.
It will cost taxpayers, though.
IPS says the average homeowner in their district will pay $3 more a month in property taxes.
The $410 million raised from that tax hike will fund renovations to more than 20 IPS elementary and middle schools. Designs and bidding on those renovations are set to start this summer with some of the construction projects set to start in the fall.
"We have students who go to school who use wheelchairs and they have trouble accessing basic bathrooms," said IPS parent Megan McKinney Cooper, saying that needs to change.
She voted for the referendum.
"If that hadn't gotten passed and if that money weren't coming, those buildings would be falling into disrepair and that's not OK for the primary public school district in Indianapolis," she said.
According to IPS, a recent study showed 30% of its schools were in poor condition and needed upgrades just to get them to good condition.
"Personally, I know our building has some really big needs," said mom Kristen Phair, who has three kids at George Washington Carver Elementary.
Phair voted to fund the renovations through the property tax increase, but realizes not everyone supported seeing their taxes go up.
"I see it as, they're not just my kids. They're all of our kids and they are humans that your kids are going to be growing up with," Phair said.
"I was in favor of the opportunity," said Randy Kron, who didn't vote for the referendum.
He couldn't. That's because he lives in Lawrence Township.
Kron will still be impacted, though. He owns several rental properties within IPS and will now be paying more in taxes on those properties.
"As a property owner, I want to have properties that people want to live in and the ones I'm flipping, I want them to be sellable and that comes from being in school districts where quality education and people want to live," he explained.
The latest property Kron just bought on Eastern Avenue has an assessed value of around $87,000. Now, with the property tax increase from the referendum, Kron will be paying about $5.75 more each month in property taxes on it.
IPS says taxpayers can expect to see a higher property tax bill next June.
To figure out how much of increase you'll be looking at, if you live within IPS, you can check out their property tax calculator.