School Referenda

Indiana does not have statewide initiatives or referenda. But the legislature there, in an effort to put downward pressure on property taxes, passed a new requirement in March: that a local referendum be conducted on large-scale construction. The referendum is required on K-8 school construction of $10 million or more, high school construction of $20 million or more, and all other public projects of $12 million or more. The referenda have begun, and the Journal Gazette, the paper in Ft. Wayne, takes a thorough look at the change.

With state school funding lagging, local communities in Minnesota are passing school referenda to augment school funds. How many communities are acting? According to this piece, 87 percent of Minnesota schools currently have a special funding referendum in place. The U.S. may still be a republic on the federal level, but at the state and especially the local level, we rule ourselves directly and democratically.