I have taught at
Chesterton High School for 25 years, so I was not surprised to see that
Chesterton was ranked the #1 community in Indiana to raise a family. Every
day, I see our dedicated staff, teachers and Administration strive to
provide an outstanding education for our children. The Duneland Schools are
an essential part of our success because strong schools promote our
community, protect our property values and produce great citizens who will
work, contribute, invest and lead our community for years to come. We have
worked hard to provide a return on the investment you have made in our
community through the referendum.
Duneland is not
alone in our need for a referendum. Over the last decade, inadequate State
funding has forced 84 percent of public schools in Indiana to ask their
communities to support them through a referendum. While funding for public
schools in Indiana has stagnated over the last decade, hundreds of millions
of dollars has been diverted from public education to voucher programs and
charter schools. This has placed substantial financial stress on Indiana’s
public schools. Many regional communities, such as, Valparaiso, Munster,
Hebron, Crown Point, Hammond, Hobart, and Lake Central have passed a
referendum to support their schools. Some communities, such as Michigan
City, have failed to pass their referendum, leaving their schools with
severe financial challenges to support the staffing, resources and programs
needed for their students.
In speaking with
Duneland residents, I have found that many are not sure what the referendum
means to their personal bottom line. Our budgets are tight, and every dollar
counts, so what does supporting the referendum cost? What exactly is that 22
cents? In 2012, Duneland voters passed the referendum that resulted in an
annual tax collection of up to 22 cents per $100 of assessed value on
property. The median home value in Duneland is currently $183,500. For this
median home value, with the homestead and mortgage exemptions applied, the
22 cents collection results in $15.96 per month of referendum support for
our schools. The Duneland School Corporation website has a Referendum tab
that includes a Tax Calculator link. When you enter your property’s assessed
valuation, the calculator will indicate exactly what the impact of the
referendum is on your property taxes. The rate shown on the calculator is
what you are currently paying in referendum support for our schools and
would continue to pay with a “YES” vote for the continuation of the
referendum. Collectively, the referendum provides the Duneland Schools with
roughly $6 million of annual funding that is essential for the operations,
programs, teachers, resources, counselors, courses, nurses and educational
opportunities that cultivate and maintain Duneland excellence.
When our voters
originally passed our referendum, in 2012, it saved the Duneland School
Corporation from a financial crisis that would have gutted the programs,
opportunities and staffing that we provide for our students. Over the last
seven years, our community’s investment in our schools, through the
referendum, has sustained Duneland as one of the finest public school
Corporations in the State. I have had the great fortune to teach my entire
career at Chesterton High School. I am only one of 318 teachers in the
Duneland School Corporation, but I have a unique perspective on how the
referendum has benefited our schools because I also serve as the Chairman of
Negotiations for the Duneland Teachers Association. In that role, I have
come to better understand the complexity of school funding, how Duneland
invests our funding and how dire the situation in Duneland would be without
our community’s referendum support. For example, four years ago the starting
salary for a beginning teacher in Duneland was $32,428, woefully behind most
of our neighboring school districts. Over the last four years, referendum
funding has enabled Duneland to increase our beginning teacher salary to
$40,000, which is much more comparable to our regional counterparts.
Competitive teacher salaries are vital to our ability to attract and retain
quality teachers, especially as the teacher shortage in Indiana grows worse
every year. Additionally, your investment in the referendum has enabled
Duneland to afford the educational opportunities, staffing and innovations
necessary to sustain Duneland excellence in our Building and Trades program,
art, music, science, technology, robotics, Dual Credit, Advanced Placement,
the International Baccalaureate diploma and more.
I hope that when
considering your vote, you agree that the cost of supporting our children’s
educational opportunities through the continuation of the referendum is
worth far more to our community than the adverse price our kids, schools and
community would pay with the ramifications of non-renewal. I hope that you
see the bottom line of the continuation of the referendum as an affordable
and collective investment in our community that provides the resources vital
for Duneland success. Please vote “YES” for the continuation of the
referendum so we can protect and sustain what we have worked so hard to
build together.