The Indiana Department of Education strictly limits how we can spend the dollars we receive from them based on student enrollment numbers. These dollars cannot be used to pay staff at our BCS campuses like custodians, office secretaries, principals, nurses and bus drivers. However, we are able to use the money from the operating referendum to directly support these vital programs and staff. The cost to provide a quality education and safe learning environment for our students, as well as competitive salary and benefits for our teachers and staff has increased since the last referendum vote in 2016. Schools face higher prices just like Brown County families.

• The proposed percentage increase in tax for the referendum represents the percentage increase of the school corporation’s tax rate of $0.58, not the total tax rate of $1.00 or more. The actual percentage increase in your tax liability will be less than the percentage listed on the ballot question. The approximate increase in tax liability for the average value home in Brown County would be $11 a month. The previous referendum is at 8 cents per $100 assessed value of your home. The referendum would increase only 2 cents from 8 cents to 10 cents. The referendum does not ask for a 10-cent increase.

There are very few parcels at the property tax caps. This means that 99% of our taxpayers would feel the debt rate falling off which negates the referendum increase.

Bottom line is the taxpayers would really only feel that $0.01 increase to their tax bill.

Ballot Question:

Shall Brown County Schools increase property taxes paid to schools by homeowners and businesses for eight (8) years immediately following the holding of the referendum for the purpose of funding the Taxpayer Investment Plan which will include providing for teacher and staff salaries, benefits and programs and funding the Career Resource Center? If this public question is approved by the voters, the average property tax paid to schools per year on a residence would increase by 28.16% and the average property tax paid to schools per year on a business property would increase by 17.28%. The most recent property tax referendum proposed by the school corporation was held in November, 2022 and failed.

The 28% increase represents the increase of the school’s portion of the tax bill, and not the overall property taxes paid by a homeowner.

The referendum question calculates the average tax rate of the six taxing districts and then determines the amount paid by the average homestead in Brown County which is $656.92

The school district’s portion of this liability is $374.05. The $0.10 rate increase for the referendum is $105.34 on the average homestead which represents 28.16% of the school district’s portion of $374.05.

The referendum only affects people who own property in Brown County. It would not affect renters directly because they do not pay property taxes. Renters can vote on the referendum on May 7, and their students would benefit without any additional cost.

The referendum would provide approximately this much each year for our schools: $1,879,051

Specific uses for referendum dollars:

• Teacher and staff salaries, benefits and programming
  • $1,691,146 – each year
• Career resource Center Adult Education Support
  • $187,905 – each year

A yes vote for 10 cents in the referendum does not mean your taxes will increase by 10 cents per $100 in assessed value. We already pay 8 cents, so the increase for property taxpayers would only be 2 cents per $100 in assessed value. On average, homeowners will see an increase of $11.00 per month. Brown County Schools’ tax rate is very low at a little more than half (55%) of the state average.

Our taxes are already lower than the school systems in Edinburgh, Bartholomew County, Seymour, Monroe County, and Martinsville.

Brown County Schools does an exceptional job of educating our students with high-quality learning, but we do it with a lot less funding. Even if the referendum passes, Brown County Schools will be working with much less money than neighboring school systems.

Brown County Schools will be able to:

• Offer competitive wages and benefits for prospective teachers and staff in order to hire and keep the best of the best for Brown County students (this includes certified teachers, support staff, and transportation staff);
• Ensure innovative programming and support small class sizes;
• Reinstate Career and Technical Education courses, such as construction, trades, manufacturing, etc.; and hire a full time Work Based Learning Coordinator
• Reinstate Theater at Brown County High School by hiring a full time theater teacher and expanding art, band and choir
• Increase Special Education and mental health supports across the entire district

If you want to calculate how much more per year you would need to pay to make sure we can staff our schools and provide our students with a high quality education, please use the automatic calculator.

If we do not successfully pass the referendum, we will be forced to absorb approximately $1.6 million back into our budget, which we cannot do while also continuing to provide highly effective student experiences, student outcomes, and athletic programs. BCS will continue to lose high-quality teachers and staff. We also will be forced to reduce programming across the district.

A NO vote will force us to increase class sizes, eliminate teaching positions, and make major changes to our academic and student support programs. Our recent survey mailed to every home in Brown County included a list of questions as examples of the hard decisions we would face in deciding what to stop doing. Our valuable programs that offer career education, summer internships, and other educational options will be drastically reduced. Our Career Resource Center and K-12 programs will face substantial cuts and our athletics program will face an uncertain future.

When referendum dollars go toward paying teacher salaries, it is actually an investment in our children’s education. Teachers are the heart of our schools—they are the ones who directly impact our kids’ learning every day. By ensuring teachers are fairly compensated, we can hire and keep talented educators who are motivated to give our children the best education possible and set those children up for success in life. So, when we support referendum funding for teacher salaries, we are really investing in our children.

You can find YOUR exact tax payment amounts by utilizing our Tax Investment Calculator.

We encourage residents to utilize the tax investment calculator to learn the facts about the amount of their investment in BCS. First, search for your property to find your Taxable Assessment Value. Then use that value to Calculate Your Adjusted Tax based on the proposal.

Step 1

Find Your Taxable Assessment

Step 2

Calculate Your Adjusted Tax

You can click here or scan this QR code and look up your registration or register to vote. The deadline to register is April 8, 2024.

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