Referendum FAQ

POSTED  06/09/2017

1. Why are we holding a referendum?

   Your locally-elected School Board of Trustees conducts all meetings in an open and accessible format.  After a series of open, public meetings held this past Spring, the members of the School Board of Trustees decided to seek the support of voters in the Hobart school community for investments for operating and capital construction funding.  We followed Indiana laws that require that voters can decide whether funding can be provided via a referendum process.

2. When will the referenda be held?

   Both referenda will be on the ballot during a Special Election to be held on November 7, 2017.
   
   

3. Who can vote on the referenda?

   Registered voters living in the School City of Hobart can vote on these two (2) referendum questions.
   
   

4. How much will be generated by the referenda?

   The referendum for operating funds will generate $2M and the referendum for capital construction will generate $41M for use on capital improvements in the School City of Hobart.
   
   

5. How will the funds be used?

   The operating referendum funding will be used to ensure that we continue to offer quality programs in the classroom and to support safe transportation options for our schoolchildren. Funds from the capital construction referendum will be used for the construction of a new elementary school and a new pool at the High School. In addition, by making these investments in capital construction projects, we are supporting local jobs and businesses and saving money on construction costs.
   
   

6. What will be the capacity of the new school?

   The new school, located at 52 North Wisconsin Street, is being designed to meet our present and future needs for safety, energy efficiency and effective classroom designs.  The design will meet the needs of 550-600 students.
   
   

7. What has been done to design a new school to meet our present enrollments?

   Currently Joan Martin has capacity of 775 students.  If we did not move any of the students from Joan Martin (the Mundell Neighborhood), the new school would only have 310 Ridge View students – approximately half of the new school’s capacity.  By moving the Mundell Neighborhood students, we alleviate the lunchroom congestion at Joan Martin and more evenly distribute the enrollment of students. The total enrollment at the new school would be approximately 490 students.  By designing a school with the capacity for projected growth, we will make a wise investment of taxpayer dollars.  
   
   

8. Could we save money by converting our elementary buildings into K-5 schools to alleviate the Joan Martin congestion?

   Joan Martin had lunch room congestion before the Early Learning Center was constructed.  To save money when the school was constructed, the size of the café and gym was reduced. This has resulted in a school where these areas are not best equipped to meet the capacity of students the building can hold. The three elementary schools that house grades 1-5 help SCOH balance student teacher ratios. A new elementary school will actually help balance enrollment better because we currently shuttle Ridge View students when they reach capacity.
   
   

9. What are the plans for Ridge View?  What about the Hobart Middle School pool?

   We plan to use a portion of Ridge View for Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes, Headstart, and Special Education Adult Learning (Blast). Funds from these classes will help defray operational costs. Because of recommendations received during our public meetings and with considerable public input, we plan to keep the Middle School pool in operation.  
   
   

10. If approved, when would the new elementary school open?

    The estimated opening date of the new elementary school would be for the 2020-2021 school year.  The new pool would open for the 2019-2020 school year.
    
    

11. Will the new pool be available for all residents of Hobart?

    The pool will be used primarily for our students, but we will ensure that there are opportunities for use by the public.  We are also planning to make the pool available for lease during special events.  Those funds would be earmarked for operations of the pool and have the potential to support community and economic development in the community.  In addition, the pool will be available for training use by our first responders in the community.
    
    

12. Will anything be done to reduce traffic congestion at the Mundell site?

    Yes.  We will work with City officials and project architects to address the traffic concerns while protecting the safety of our students and pedestrians.  
    
    

13. Why can't we charge for bus service?

    In 2011, the Indiana Attorney General declared that school districts cannot charge fees for students to ride the bus to and from school.
    
    

14. How much will these projects cost me?

    We have been fortunate in our school district. Through dedicated financial planning and a commitment to “doing more with less”, we have saved considerable money for all taxpayers in the School City of Hobart. There is not a tax rate increase from 2016 and thanks to a decision to refinance the costs of the new high school when interest rates were low, millions more were saved.

    It is projected that a taxpayer with a home valued at $128,600 will pay $0 per month to support these investments in improving educational opportunities and capital investments in our community. For specific information about your property tax impact, please go to our Tax Calculator that is part of the Referenda tab on our school district’s website.

For additional information about the proposed referenda, please feel free to contact Superintendent Peggy Buffington at 219-942-8885.