Rich Van Wyk/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - There's no let-up in the long lines of Hoosiers voting early. Also on the ballot within the Indianapolis Public Schools District is a $278 million question. It's a question many voter's don't know is there, or don't understand.
In the City-County building, inside one of the many voting booths, Charles Robinson checked and rechecked both sides of his ballot.
How important is the back of the ballot? "Pretty important," replied Robinson.
But the questions on the back of the ballot are easily and perhaps often overlooked. Gyrid Lyon got a surprise when he turned his ballot over. "I didn't know there was stuff on the back," he said
On the back are less publicized races and referendum questions. One question, written in legalese, of them fills half a column. This is the full text:
Shall the Board of School Commissioners of the City of Indianapolis (Indianapolis Public Schools or IPS) enter into a lease to finance all or any portion of the construction and/or renovation of schools to meet student's academic and health needs as part of an ongoing capital improvements program with a total project cost not to exceed $278,000,000 that would build a new Minnie Hartmann School 78 (3734 E. Vermon St.), which cannot be renovated in a cost effective manner, and consolidate Francis Scott Key School 103 (3920 Baker Dr.) with Francis Bellamy School 102 (9501 E. 36th Pl.) on the current School 103 site, as well as install air conditioning and make other health, safety, access, security, telecommunications and related improvements and address certain other inadequacies to the 30 schools listed below:
IPS School numbers 11, 15, 19, 20, 31, 39, 55, 58, 59, 61, 67, 70, 74, 79, 81, 83, 88, 91, 94, 98, 99, 105, 107, 109, 028, 315, 616, 722, 716, 715.
Shaking his head, Lyon concedes, " To be honest, no...did not understand that."
His friend Amanda sort of figured it out. "It sounds like it's about funding schools," she said.
Yes, for the first time, thousands of center city voters have a direct impact on funding for Indianapolis Public Schools.
Their yes or no answers effect dozens of IPS schools, and thousands of inner city children for years to come.
Voting yes allows IPS to borrow as much as $278 million to renovate 32 schools. Students would get modern classrooms, air conditioning, libraries, and other improvements. Homeowners would get higher property taxes. Increases vary, according to IPS, from about an additional $105 on a $100,000 home or $510 on a $300,000 dollar home.
Voting no leaves the school buildings the way they are.
Even though so much is as stake, supporters of the IPS plan fear voters voting a straight party ticket won't even see the question.
"It is important for parents to understand and to know that they have to turn it over. But tell your neighbors, tell your friends to turn it over," said Linda Minter of the IPS Renewal Team.
