An operating referendum allows local voters to approve additional funding for the day-to-day costs of running their schools. For Crown Point, referendum funding supports things students and families see every day including teachers and staff, manageable class sizes, student transportation, health and safety, and academic and support programs. It is different from funding used for construction and major building projects, which by law cannot be spent on anything else in a school's budget.

Yes. Voters approved an operating referendum in May 2025. But the rate for that referendum was established before the Indiana General Assembly enacted SEA 1. The  changes to Indiana's property tax system reduced the revenue CPCSC can expect to receive. The 2026 referendum is intended to address the losses from that funding change.

CPCSC is not asking to fund new positions or programs. It's about maintaining what the district currently has. If passed, the referendum would support four major areas: Essential health and safety initiatives . This includes nurses in every building and four school resource officers. It also supports safety software that our schools rely on for student safety.Teachers, staff and maintaining class sizes. 70 positions are support by the referendum, including teachers who help maintain class sizes. Student transportation. More than 7,600 students live outside the walk zone of their school. Transportation is also for field trips, extracurriculars, and academic programs. Academic and support programs. Teacher stipends for academic extracurriculars.  These are operating expenses associated with providing services and opportunities to students. The referendum is not used for construction or capital purchases.

Without the replacement referendum, the district would have to address the funding gap through its available revenues and more staff reductions. The district already cut $7.3 million in 2026 without a reduction-in-force (RIF) of classroom teachers or student programming. If the referendum does not pass, the following reductions are anticipated based on current financial projections:50-60 certified positions in the education fundAdditional support staff reductions in the education fund10-15 positions supported by the current referendumTransportation reduction in the operations fund

SEA 1 (Senate Enrolled Act 1) is an Indiana property tax law passed in 2025. It made several changes intended to provide property tax relief, including new and expanded deductions and credits. Those changes also reduce the taxable property value available to fund local services, including schools.  For Crown Point Schools, that means less property tax revenue than was anticipated when voters approved the district's operating referendum in 2025. Unfortunately, CPCSC had to provide their approved rate for the 2025 referendum in December of 2024, before SEA 1 was passed.

Crown Point receives part of its funding from local property taxes. When changes in state law reduce the taxable value of property or provide additional tax credits, less property tax revenue may be collected. For CPCSC, those changes affect the Operations Fund, which helps pay for expenses such as transportation, utilities, maintenance and other operating costs.

Yes. Crown Point Schools made $7.3 million in budget reductions in 2026.  Those reductions included administrative and central-office positions, support positions, operational changes, and reductions involving curriculum and software resources. The district was able to preserve certified classroom teaching positions and current student programming through those reductions. Without the support of the referendum, additional cuts will need to be made.

In Indiana, school districts are determined by townships, not city/town limits. This means anyone registered to vote in Center Township or Winfield Township (the two townships for CPCSC) will see the referendum on their ballot question. This includes parts of Crown Point, Winfield, Cedar Lake, and unincorporated areas of the townships.

The referendum spending plan includes $6 million for student transportation. Transportation is a major part of Crown Point's daily operation. More than 7,600 students, about 80% of Crown Point students, live outside the walk zone for their school. The transportation system operates more than 80 buses and travels more than one million miles each year. Valuable academic programs rely on transportation to help students have valuable learning experiences.

SEA 1 changes both how much of your property's value may be subject to taxation and the credits that may reduce your final tax bill.The exact impact is different for every property. Your home's net assessed value, deductions, tax district, applicable tax rates and credits all affect what you ultimately pay.That is why a change that reduces revenue for Crown Point Schools does not necessarily mean an individual homeowner's total property tax bill increases by the same amount.

No. SEA 1 does not reduce your home's market value or gross assessed value.Instead, deductions can reduce the portion of that gross assessed value that is subject to property taxes, while credits can reduce the amount of tax ultimately owed.

Think about your property tax bill in four basic steps:Gross Assessed Value → Deductions → Net Assessed Value → Tax Rates → CreditsYour property begins with a gross assessed value. Eligible deductions reduce the amount subject to taxation. Tax rates are then applied to that taxable value. Finally, eligible credits can reduce the amount you actually owe.SEA 1 changed portions of this calculation, which is why it can simultaneously provide property tax relief to homeowners and reduce revenue available to schools and other local units.

If the 2026 referendum is approved, it replaces the 2025 operating referendum. The two referendum rates would not simply be added together.The existing referendum is currently collected at $0.1828 per $100 of net assessed value. The 2026 referendum authorizes a rate of up to $0.3870 per $100 of net assessed value for no more than eight years.

In per pupil funding from the state, CPCSC ranks in the bottom 7% of school districts. The district also receives nearly 43% less per pupil in its operations fund. And yet, CPCSC still provides amazing results for its students and community. It already does more with less.In 2009 when the state cut per pupil money in the education fund, CPCSC ran one of the first referendums in the state in 2011. The community voted to pass the referendum and keep education standards and opportunities high. Because per pupil funding has not kept pace with inflation, the referendum was passed again in 2018 and 2025.Now, the state has made significant cuts to property tax revenue in the operations fund. CPCSC isn't asking for money to increase programs or for more staff. The replacement referendum simply seeks to replace the funding lost from upcoming property tax changes.

There is already an operating referendum included in Crown Point property tax bills. The 2026 proposal would replace that existing referendum at a higher maximum rate rather than adding a second operating referendum on top of it. That distinction matters when looking at the overall tax impact: homeowners are already paying the existing referendum rate.  The difference between the old and new, plus the upcoming reduced net assessed value on tax bills, means many homeowners will see little impact on their overall tax bill in 2027. In 2028, most homeowners will see overall reductions, even with an updated referendum rate.

Indiana law separates money borrowed or collected for capital projects from money used for day-to-day operating expenses. Funding designated for construction and debt cannot simply be transferred to pay teacher salaries, transportation, curriculum or other ongoing operating costs. Some people mistakenly believe money for facilities could be used for staff or student programs. The school funding system prevents that.

Growth helps, but it doesn't eliminate the effect of SEA 1.  SEA 1 changes deductions and credits that affect the net assessed value on which property taxes are collected. Despite new homes in the area, CPCSC's overall student enrollment count is fairly flat. Stagnant enrollment with below inflation and below average funding per pupil, alongside losses from SEA 1 in operations, create losses for CPCSC.

Teachers and staff make up the largest part of the cost of educating students. Of the district's three main funds (education, operations, referendum), 86% is spent on staff salaries and benefits.The referendum specifically includes funding to support and retain teachers and staff and maintain class sizes.

Administrative and central-office positions were included in the district's $7.3 million in 2026 budget reductions. Most of the money spent from the district's Education, Operations, and Referendum funds goes to people. 86% of those expenditures are wages and benefits, while district administrators account for less than 3% of personnel spending. A multimillion-dollar ongoing funding problem can't be solved through administrative reductions alone.

That depends on your property.The ballot is required to use a $350,000 median residence and states that the property's annual tax bill would increase by $648 per year at the referendum's maximum parameters.That does not mean every Crown Point homeowner will pay an additional $648.Actual impact depends on your home's net assessed value, deductions, credits, tax district and other factors. It also matters that Crown Point homeowners are already paying the existing referendum rate of $0.1828.This is where this website's Tax Impact Calculator should become the next click.

The ballot asks voters whether Crown Point Community Schools may replace its existing operating referendum with an eight-year referendum to support educational and operational funding stability, health and safety, teachers and staff, class sizes, student transportation, and academic and support programs. It lists the maximum rate the district could collect to replace the funding losses.

Indiana's referendum process requires a standardized calculation using the median gross assessed value certified for the school corporation.The certified median home in the district is $317,700. The law requires that to be rounded up to the next $50,000. For this referendum, that certified median residence listed on the ballot is $350,000.It is a statutory number used to create the ballot's tax-impact statement; it does not mean every home in Crown Point is worth $350,000.

The referendum may be collected for no more than eight years. This timeline is determined by Indiana law and changed last year (previously seven years).If approved in November 2026, it would replace the operating referendum approved in 2025.