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Superintendent says Vigo County won’t need an operational referendum in 2026, cites Ball State study showing value added
Summary
The superintendent told the Vigo County School Corporation board the district is financially positioned to avoid placing an operational referendum on the 2026 ballot and highlighted a Ball State study saying VCSC outperforms predicted ILEARN and SAT results when demographics are considered.
The superintendent told the Vigo County School Corporation board on Monday that the district will not need to place an operational referendum on the 2026 ballot, citing recent property‑tax adjustments and fiscal planning.
"Vigo County School Corporation is not one of those school districts," the superintendent said, referring to other Indiana districts pursuing fall referenda after changes tied to Senate Enrolled Act 1. He said the district’s current operational referendum — which supplements education and operations funds — does not expire until 2027 and that the board reduced the district’s property tax rate last fall from about $0.97 to about $0.90.
The superintendent emphasized those steps and other budget decisions have positioned the district to weather statewide funding pressures, but he cautioned the situation could change with further state cuts or different legislative outcomes. "It is not to say that we will not need to renew or increase our operational referendum in the future … but we will not need to do so in 2026," he said.
Alongside the financial update, the superintendent cited a study from Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research (researchers Michael Hicks and Dagny Falk) that adjusted standardized test expectations for demographic factors. The study, he said, found the Vigo County School Corporation’s ILEARN passing rates and SAT value‑added metrics were higher than predicted by demographics — putting the district in the top half of Indiana districts for third‑ and eighth‑grade ILEARN value‑added and in the top 40% for high‑school SAT value‑added, according to the superintendent’s summary.
The superintendent also reported declines in chronic absenteeism (more than 20%) and students recommended for expulsion (more than 55%), and he thanked staff and community partners who support summer learning and meal programs.
Board members asked clarifying questions and praised the district’s academic and extracurricular achievements. The board will next meet June 1 at 6:00 p.m. at the administrative building.
