As Noblesville continues to become a destination for families to relocate to, the growth causes issues with city services and school enrollment.
On Sept. 2, the Noblesville School Board and common council met to discuss the issues each are facing and how the other can assist. It was only the second time in the past four years the two government organizations have held a joint meeting.
“What you do impacts us. We’re not opposed to growth but the higher demand accelerates the need. We’re sharing information with you so know we’re aware,” said Pat Berghoff, school board president. “Growth is a great thing. It means people want to move here. They move here because of the city services and the schools, and we need to keep them strong.”
Current enrollment in the seven elementary schools is 4,759 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The projected growth for the 2014-15 school year is 4,816 students.
“If the growth of the community continues we’ll have to build another facility,” School board member Julia Kozicki said, adding the corporation has redistricted to balance enrollment but that doesn’t solve the constant enrollment increase. “We don’t have a whole lot more space before we have to talk about total enrollment. We’re pretty close to functional capacity.”
One concerning issue to the school officials is how multi-family apartment complexes are driving the students numbers up. Officials said the school district spends more on the students who come from a multi-family unit of housing rather than a single-family one.
“Apartments cause a lot more problems than houses,” said Gary Duvall, school board member.
City officials said there are four approved developments within the school district boundaries with approximately 1,000 to 1,500 units. Mayor John Ditslear said the recently approved developments are market-rate and should not impact the schools as district officials’ fear.
“We’re finished with subsidized apartments. The last several we passed are limited to two bedrooms and so children per apartment are much less than other options,” he said.
In the 2013-14 school year, 18 percent of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch prices. Officials said that number has increased to 24 percent this year. Kozicki said that a higher percentage of free and reduced lunch students will come from these apartments – even if they are market rate.
“It’s a less staple environment than a single-family home,” she said.
While the official student count is not due for another week, school officials said the district is up 200 students this year.
Noblesville Schools’ Business Director Terry Rich said the school receives $5,119 per student from the state – less than the state average. Tax caps, less state funding and enrollment surges are causing financial hardships for the corporation. To house more students, school officials have the options of adding portable classrooms or building another school.
“The problem with portables becomes safety,” said Jane Barr, school board member. “It’s the No. 1 thing we have to think about.”
At the meeting, officials announced potential plans of referendums in 2016 and again in 2020-21 to address the growing enrollment at the elementary levels.
“Tax payers aren’t going to want to vote on a referendum every three years. That’s one of the challenges we face (with current legislation and funding options),” Berghoff said. “The state hasn’t changed how much money we are receiving.”
Taxpayers impact
At the joint meeting, Noblesville Schools’ officials said the district will likely come before the public with referendums in 2016 – one to build an elementary on the school-owned land adjacent to Noblesville West Middle School and another for the operating fund because the current one expires in 2017. In 2020-21, the board predicts another referendum will be presented for a ninth elementary school, potential third middle school and addition to the high school.
“We are really looking at our budget closely and seeing what we can cut,” Supt. Dr. Beth Neidermeyer said. “We want to make sure the community knows that we are running a really lean organization. If there are places to cut, we’re going to find them. Before we go to the taxpayers, we want to really tighten things up.
