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School referendum · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Porter Township Schools operating referendum

A first operating levy for Porter Township (Boone Grove) schools: up to $0.3576 per $100 and $3.5 million a year for 8 years. On ballots in Porter Township School Corporation (Boone Grove).

Who votes on it: Registered voters who live within Porter Township School Corporation boundaries (Porter Township, Porter County, including the Boone Grove area)

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What a vote means

A yes vote
Adds up to $599 a year for a $350,000 median home (ballot). The campaign committee cites a district projection of about $60 more in 2027 after SEA 1 credits.
A no vote
No new tax. The district's forecast shows fund balances falling below zero by 2030 without other action.

On the ballot

Read the question as it is printed, word for word
Shall Porter Township School Corporation increase property taxes paid to the school corporation for no more than eight (8) years for the purpose of funding and sustaining educational and operational funding stability in response to reductions in property tax revenue, including maintaining essential health and safety initiatives, including the employment and retention of school resource officers, supporting and retaining teachers and staff, managing class sizes, maintaining essential student transportation and funding academic and support programs to meet the educational needs of all students, by imposing a property tax rate that does not exceed $0.3576 and results in a maximum annual amount that does not exceed $3,500,000. If this operating referendum public question is approved by the voters, for a median residence of $350,000, the property’s annual property tax bill would increase by $599 per year

In full

Porter Township schools ask for their first operating referendum: up to 35.76 cents per $100 and up to $3.5 million a year for 2027-2034. The district's own 2027 spending plan expects $1.5 million in the first year, $1.2 million of it for student transportation. A June 2026 district cash-flow forecast shows education and operations fund balances falling from $3.2 million in 2026 to below zero by 2030 without new revenue.

What is being asked for

Most it could charge
$0.3576 per $100 [1]
Most it could raise a year
$3,500,000 [1]
For how long
8 years
What it replaces
Nothing; Porter Township has no referendum levy (2026 certified rates: Debt Service $0.6595, Operations $0.3763) and no prior operating referendum on DLGF's list [5][6].
On a median home
$350,000 (Porter County Auditor; the campaign committee says the actual median homestead is about $337,850) [1][8] — Ballot figure: +$599 per year at the full rate [1]. Projections attributed to the district by the Friends of Porter Township Schools campaign: a 17.21-cent rate in 2027 (about $277 for a $337,850 homestead) and a net total-bill change of about +$60 in 2027 after SEA 1 deductions and credits [8]. These were not found in district documents (gap). No existing referendum levy, so all figures are increases vs. today.

If it passes

  • Levy up to $0.3576 / $3.5M a year, 2027-2034; the board sets the annual rate [1][4].
  • First-year plan: $1.5M, mostly transportation ($1.2M), plus SROs and staff [4].
  • Cost: ballot +$599/yr on a $350,000 home at the maximum [1]. Outside the caps [7].

If it fails

  • No new tax [5].
  • District forecast: fund balances fall below zero by 2030 without additional action [3].
  • Re-try: November 2028 general election [7].

How it got on the ballot

  • June 18, 2026: Superintendent Dr. Stacey Schmidt presented an 8-year financial forecast reflecting SEA 1; the board approved Resolution #0626-342 (motion Sgouros, second Harlow) 4-0; President Wargo read a supporting statement from Vice-President McGinty, and the four voting members each made statements in support [2].
  • The June 18 board packet included a Policy Analytics cash-flow forecast for the education and operations funds: ending balance $3.19M (2026), $2.43M (2027), $1.48M (2028), $0.40M (2029), -$0.79M (2030), -$2.10M (2031); with rainy day fund, -$0.14M in 2030 [3].
  • DLGF received the resolution June 25, 2026 and approved it June 26, 2026 (No. 26-023-REF) [1].
  • Spending plan (2027 estimated revenue $1,500,000): student transportation $1,200,000; SROs $130,000; teachers and staff $135,000; class sizes $20,000; academic and support programs $10,000; health and safety $5,000. The resolution says no charter distribution is planned [4][3].

The district's own numbers

  • Enrollment: 1,473 (2018-19) to 1,483 (2025-26), +0.7% [10].
  • Fall 2025: 161 transfers in, 125 out, 89 Choice Scholarship students (IDOE transfer report, as compiled) [11].
  • 2026 certified rates: Debt Service $0.6595 (up from $0.5523 in 2023), Operations $0.3763; CNAV $930.4 million (flat vs. 2025, +24% vs. 2023) [5].
  • LSA estimate (SEA 1): -$537,130 (2026, -6.6%), -$549,950 (2027), -$593,510 (2028, -6.9%) [12].
  • June 2026 forecast: annual deficits of $0.75M (2027) rising to $1.31M (2031) in the education and operations funds [3].

What came before

  • No Porter Township School Corporation operating or construction referendum appears on DLGF's historic lists (2009-2025) [6][9].
  • An older trade-press report describes a failed $34 million bond plan for Boone Grove High School; its date and process could not be confirmed, so it is not counted here (gap).

What each side says

Other people's words and claims, not ours, each with the page it came from. Where we found no organised campaign on a side, the page says so rather than inventing one.

For

  • All five board members expressed support at the June 18 meeting (four in person, one by statement) [2].
  • Friends of Porter Township Schools (campaign committee; registration not verified) says the referendum will 'protect the people, services, and opportunities our students rely on every day' [8].
  • Friends of Porter Township Schools (campaign committee; registration not verified) says the district has cut more than $700,000 (routes, attrition, furlough days, custodial staffing) and receives $7,149 per student in state basic grant funding vs. a $7,734 state average; these figures were not verified against district documents [8].
  • The same committee says the district has stated that bus transportation times 'would either double, or school bus service would be eliminated' if the question fails; no district document with that statement was found [8].

Against

  • No organized opposition found.

Questions worth asking

  • What rate will the board levy in 2027, and is the 17.21-cent projection an official district figure?
  • What transportation changes would happen, and when, if the referendum fails?
  • Why does the spending plan direct $1.2M of $1.5M to transportation?
  • How much is the debt service rate expected to change with current building projects (Porter Lakes Elementary and Boone Grove High School)?
  • Would the board revisit furlough days or other cuts if it passes?

What we could not find

  • District FAQ or referendum webpage not found on ptsc.k12.in.us; much public detail comes from the campaign committee.
  • No official transportation cut plan found.
  • No property-class tax breakdown.

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

  1. Findings and Final Determination, No. 26-023-REF (Porter Township School Corporation) (Indiana DLGF)
  2. Board of School Trustees minutes, June 18, 2026 (approved July 16, 2026) (Porter Township School Corporation)
  3. Board packet, June 18, 2026 (financial update, Resolution #0626-342) (Porter Township School Corporation)
  4. Porter Township proposed revenue spending plan (Porter Township School Corporation via DLGF)
  5. Certified Budget, Levy, CNAV and Rate by Fund (2023-2026 workbooks) (Indiana DLGF)
  6. Historic School Tax Levy Referenda (Indiana DLGF)
  7. Legislative Changes to Property Tax Referenda and Controlled Projects (memo) (Indiana DLGF)
  8. Support Boone Grove (campaign site and FAQs) (Friends of Porter Township Schools)
  9. Historic Controlled Project Referenda (Indiana DLGF)
  10. Corporation Enrollment by Grade 2006-2026 (Indiana Department of Education)
  11. Fall 2025-2026 Public Corporation Transfer Report (Indiana Department of Education)
  12. SB 1 (2025) Estimated Net Levies, Changes from Baseline, by unit (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)
What's included
the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else
Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists
As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls
Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.