Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of the area next to Westside Community Church where Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation is considering building a 12th elementary in Columbus, Ind., pictured on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
Three years ago, a little over 60% of voters agreed to allow Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. to impose an additional property tax rate “for the purpose of increasing compensation for teachers and support staff and maintaining student safety.”
Now, with 2024 elections on the horizon, school officials are considering posing another referendum question to voters.
BCSC announced in late July that school officials are working on a proposal for a capital referendum to potentially fund a number of facilities projects.
The school corporation’s list of potential projects has a total estimated cost of $306 million. Assistant Superintendent Chad Phillips has said that the school corporation can get close to this amount without raising the tax rate.
More information about the proposal can be accessed by going to bcscschools.org and clicking on “2024 BCSC Capital Projects Website.”
A major piece of the proposal is a potential new elementary school on the west side, which is estimated to cost $60 million.
The proposed site for the new school — which would be the 12th elementary in the district — is a 23-acre parcel just south of Westside Community Church and west of Tipton Lakes Boulevard that BCSC acquired about a decade ago.
BCSC school board member Jason Major said that he believes there is a need for additional capacity, especially on the west side of Columbus.
“I think that’s one of the big aspects of it that I think is going to be positive, is the potential for growth,” he said. “It also ties with what we want in the community anyway, which is a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger, a little more economic growth in the community that can support that many more people.”
The proposed site for the new school is located in Columbus City Council District 2, and District 2 Councilwoman Elaine Hilber lives near the property. She said that, as of early August, she had not read up much on the referendum proposal, but she sees the need for a new school on the west side.
When asked about her perspective as someone who lives near the site, Hilber said that she would “love” having a school nearby.
“Not only would it be very convenient if kids could walk to school, but I think it would also help increase property values as well,” she said.
When asked if he thinks there’s a need for a new elementary school on the west side, Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop replied, “I suspect that there is. … The folks at BCSC have shared with me a little bit of the demographic data that they have gathered, and it would indicate that our population will continue to grow, particularly the school-age population and most likely on the west side. We also know that Southside (Elementary) School has a high population.”
According to Phillips, Southside’s 2023 K-6 enrollment was 856 students, and the school has two Pre-K classrooms with about 15 to 20 students each.
The building, which was designed to be a middle school, can accommodate up to 1,025 students. However, BCSC is planning renovations to all of its elementary schools, and officials have said that this is likely to reduce building capacity.
The current rough estimate for Southside is that future renovations will limit capacity to about 740 students, Phillips said.
A demographic study commissioned by the school corporation projected a K-6 enrollment of 964 at Southside in 2032-33 — however, Phillips said this does not take into account expected Pre-K expansion or families that may move to the area as a result of potential residential development included in the concept plan for Columbus Regional Health’s Garden City Farms property.
“When complete, this would result in an estimated 400+ additional students attending Southside, putting their enrollment well over 1,500 students Pre-K to 6,” he said.
Jill Mishler, president of Southside’s Parent-Teacher Organization, said that the school doesn’t seem crowded to her.
“The school does not seem full,” she said. “The school is big — in size, I’m talking about in size. The classrooms are a great size. I believe both my children have mid-20’s. So maybe 24, 25, 26 kids in their classroom.”
Mishler said that she is of two minds when it comes to having a new school nearby. As a parent, she has concerns about the redistricting that would need to occur if a new school is built, and she doesn’t see the need — at least, as far as Southside is concerned — for another elementary.
However, she said that from her perspective as PTO president, the school’s size does present some challenges. For instance, she said that staff appreciation projects can be expensive, given the number of individuals employed by the school.
When asked about her thoughts on another referendum, Mishler said that she would need to do more research but would support it if it seems to be what’s best for BCSC families and staff.
“It’s certainly time for, arguably past time for some serious consideration to looking at remodeling, updating many of the schools in the district,” said BCSC school board member Todd Grimes.
He also indicated his support for building a new elementary school and some of the proposed high school projects.
Lienhoop said that while there’s “a lot more to learn” about the specifics of proposed projects, there are many school buildings that “have some age on them and need to be kept current.”
“I see the need and look forward to understanding the specifics about what they’ve proposed,” he said.
One of the more complicated aspects of the proposed referendum is the impact on tax bills. School officials have said that while they plan to keep the tax rate flat by timing the addition of new debt as old debt rolls off, there are still some taxpayers who may see an increase to their bills.
“It’s more complex than last time because a referendum, a capital referendum is outside of the tax caps,” Phillips said in a previous interview. “And so while the overall rate will not change within reason, it’ll stay relatively flat like it has for years, if you’re already at the tax caps, then you could see a moderate, a mild to moderate increase on your tax bill.”
It’s estimated that a home with a gross assessed value of $200,000 could see an increase of about $8 to $14 per month on its tax bill, depending on the number of projects that are funded through the referendum, he said.
Lienhoop said that the estimates the school corporation has shared with him “don’t seem too burdensome,” and it’s important to understand the opportunities BCSC has to bring on new debt as old debt rolls off.
Hilber expressed support for the idea of having another referendum.
“I understand that people don’t like new taxes, but when it comes to education, I support it, because I would love to see Columbus have the best schools in the state,” she said.
However, she said that would need to better understand the tax cap structure before giving her thoughts on the potential impact of the referendum.
“It is pretty complicated, and I think that’s just something that I probably just want to sit on my opinion for right now, at least,” Grimes said, when asked about his thoughts on the potential tax impact.
Bonnie Hicks, a community member who attended the school board’s strategic planning session in July, said that taxpayers need “transparency and truthfulness.”
“I hope the financial officer for BCSC does more than talk about tax rates,” she said in a written statement. “That tells us nothing. I hope he tells the real story by speaking about Bartholomew County assessed value multiplied by the tax rate — that would reveal the actual dollar amount the school corporation is requesting from taxpayers.”
Major said he’s worried that if residents are overtaxed, they may choose to move away from BCSC.
“I’ll give you an example,” he said. “My home is appraised at a ridiculous $410,000. It’s not a $410,000 home. My tax cap at 1% is $4,100. I’m paying $5,100 in taxes per year because of the (2020) referendum.”
He finds it frustrating to have to pay more than the tax cap when other properties are not at their caps.
Major also expressed concern about the overall cost of the potential projects and, in particular, the proposed physical education and athletics expansions at Columbus East and North high schools, which are estimated at $62 million.
“I think especially today, in the days of increased inflation, that people are going to be against spending extra money, especially when they’re spending so much more today than they were three years ago,” he said. “So I think there’s got to be some really good conversations amongst board (members), with the administration, with the teachers and with the community to understand what the best path forward is. And then, at some point, you leave it in the hands of the voters.”
BCSC officials said in July that they planned to seek community input before bringing a final recommendation to the school board at an Oct. 20 strategic planning session.
Grimes said he’s interested in learning what school leaders have heard from the community, and he will take that input into “strong consideration” moving forward.
The website about the proposed referendum includes a form for community members to submit questions and request a meeting with BCSC representatives to learn more.
Following the Oct. 20 meeting, school board members would be expected to make a decision about whether to pursue a capital referendum — and at what scale — sometime around October to December, BCSC officials said in a previous interview.
If the school board gives its approval, BCSC would look to have the capital referendum on the ballot in 2024. Phillips said in a previous interview that the school corporation would likely plan to have the question on the ballot for the May primary.
