Carmel Clay Schools seeks near-78% referendum rate increase to recoup $15M a year lost to state changes

This fall Carmel Clay Schools (CCS) will ask voters to approve a combined operating and safety referendum that would raise the district’s rate now set near 24 cents per $100 assessed value to a maximum of 42.74 cents. The eight-year proposal would phase in increases and replace the district’s current operating and safety referendums, with the question appearing on the November ballot.

District leaders say the measure is intended to offset reductions tied to 2025’s Senate Enrolled Act 1, which CCS says will cost the district an average of $15 million per year over the next eight years. CCS officials warn that, if the referendum fails, the district would need to cut about $10 million from the 2027 budget and could eliminate roughly 10% of staff — a department-wide 10% reduction is estimated to equal 197 positions, including 115 teachers — and have other steep program impacts. CCS projects that a homeowner of a $482,000 house would pay about $15.79 more per month in 2027 under the plan; the ballot language cites a $1,062 annual increase for a $500,000 home (noting that figure does not net out existing referendums).

BusinessIndy examines this development and its implications for Indiana businesses and communities using the linked sources.