Opinion: Alarming Shortfall in Brownburg School Funding

With the passage of SB1 in the Indiana State Legislature, many public school districts are facing large cuts over the next several years in the amount of funding coming from property taxes.Along with the projected loss of more than $744 million in funding statewide, starting in 2028, the law requires that public schools share local tax revenue with eligible charter schools.

Brownsburg is one of the school districts that is looking at significant changes, estimating an approximate reduction of $9 million over the next three years. The school district has started to address the issue by cutting back on indirect expenses. They are also making the decision to leave a number of teaching positions affected by retirement and routine attrition to go unfilled. The expected result of this staffing decision in tandem with the growing population of Brownsburg is a consequential change in the student to teacher ratio.

After accounting for the teaching staff reduction, a budget gap of $1.3 million remains. To avoid a referendum for increased taxes to cover the shortfall, the Brownsburg Town Council approved transferring $800,000 from Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds to Brownsburg Community School Corporation. Brown Township and Lincoln Township boards also have approved $100,000 each to go to the Corporation. While these transfers will help fill most of the remaining budget loss for the upcoming school year, the shifting of TIF funds means that other community projects and improvements will need to be put on hold. As funding losses continue to put a strain on school services, the corporation may move to put a referendum on a future ballot to ask taxpayers to cover the difference. In effect, this will force taxpayers to pay twice: first, with the loss of planned projects from TIF funds and second, with an increase in taxes.