When you go to vote this fall, chances are you’ll see a question on your ballot about funding for your local school district.
Public districts receive a portion of your property taxes to fund things like utilities, school buses and staff salaries. But the amount of property tax revenue districts can collect is capped. Schools can only collect more property tax money after asking voters in a referendum.
Five Marion County school districts are running referendum campaigns this fall. You can learn more about them in Mirror Indy’s 2026 election guide.
State law determines how the referendum question will appear on your ballot. The question is long, so Mirror Indy is breaking it down. Each school district’s request for a referendum is unique so this question will look slightly different depending on where you live, but all follow a similar format.
We’ll use Wayne Township as an example. Click on a highlighted portion of text to open a box below which will further explain that section. Here’s the district’s question:
Want to learn more about Wayne Township’s referendum? Read more about it in Mirror Indy’s elections coverage.
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Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
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