ZCS referendum passes with 57 percent of the vote
The answer was ‘Yes.’
Zionsville voters on May 8 approved a referendum that will provide relief to the town’s financially crippled school system, just 18 months after voting down a similar measure.
In November 2010, a previous referendum was soundly defeated, with 61 percent of respondents voting no. Zionsville Community Schools hopes this referendum will help close a projected $3.1 million deficit in 2013.
Like its predecessor, the referendum was a simple yes or no proposition, but the questions – and methods of operation – now get more complicated. ZCS Supt. Dr. Scott Robison’s demeanor, while allowing subdued hints of relief, is that of a man who knows there is still work to be done.
“It’s nice to have hope that the economy will improve and we will see commercial development,” he said of Zionsville’s struggling tax base, “but we need action. We need a funding formula that will allow school districts that have traditionally had great student outcomes to not be imperiled.”
Robison, who monitored voting returns at a local clubhouse with constituents, said the result was a declaration of the town’s mindset.
“It’s a signal that the majority of voters want us to extend opportunities for kids,” he said. “It’s evidence of the hundreds of volunteers and the sense-making they did in the community to educate people on what was at stake.”
Simply put, what was at stake were teachers’ jobs and, as a result, class sizes. ZCS has already cut more than 50 teaching positions while adding upward of 700 pupils since 2006.
Meei-Huey Jeng, a 10-year Zionsville resident, ZCS parent and associate professor at a large state institution, thinks voters missed the big picture on May 8.
“The voters spoke, and we have to respect that,” she said. “I’m not worried about class sizes – teachers need to be creative and it can be done. Kids are going to college and will be with 200 people in the room; they have to adjust and it doesn’t hurt to do it early.”
Jeng went on to say that people who voted in the affirmative were responding to fear speak disseminated at school board meetings, and failed to grasp the magnitude of the situation.
“People were worried about losing teachers or losing band,” she explained, “but I don’t look at things emotionally, I look at graphs and data. (The referendum) is a short-term solution. In three years, we’re going to be right back to square one.”
At the polls
Total votes: 9,354
Yes: 5,417 (57.91%)
No: 3,937 (42.09%)
Others who were opposed to the referendum point to reckless spending and financial incompetence at the administrative level as a reason for ZCS’ quandary.
“Dr. Robison admitted the school board did not consider the Indiana Board of Education Citizens’ Checklist recommendations for cost cutting,” said Kathleen Fon, a member of Zionsville Taxpayers for Responsible Education.
The checklist was created to determine if school corporations have done all that is necessary to cut costs before proposing a referendum.
“Dr. Robison said local vetting was a superior approach to the checklist,” Fon continued. “I respectfully disagree and find such arrogance unacceptable.”
Debbie Ungar and Mary Reid, executive committeepersons for the Zionsville Yes Committee, said they see things in a decidedly different light.
“This was about reducing class sizes, protecting home values and restoring our schools to excellence,” said Ungar. “I think the reality of that situation convinced people that it needed to be addressed and voting ‘yes’ was the sole way to do that.”
Referendum basics
- Runs for three years, from 2013-2015
- Restores 14 teachers, five elementary science specialists, five counselors and two literacy specialists to the school system
- Will cost $4.7 million per year, which translates to 24.44 cents per $100 of net assessed valuation
- Negates a proposed cut that would have eliminated 17 additional teaching jobs
Reid spoke to the class size issue, saying, “Even with well-behaved and well-educated children, if you have that many in a room, it’s a lot to manage. College is much more self-directed study; right now, we’re talking about kids getting the building blocks of education and setting the foundation of learning.”
Differing opinions aside, victory and satisfaction – however fleeting – are, for the moment, Robison’s.
“Thank God it was successful,” he said. “Thank God for the kids, it was successful.”