If you own property in Indiana, there is a meaningful chance your November 3, 2026 ballot will include a school funding question — and unlike nearly everything else on your tax bill, the line it creates sits outside the circuit breaker caps. WFYI's June reporting put the expert estimate at 40 to 50 districts asking voters to approve local property tax measures this fall, and Indiana Public Media reported in May that public education advocates expect a record number.
This is the statewide preview: why the surge is happening, the new rule that concentrates everything onto this one ballot, the districts with verified questions as of early July, and what past results say about which questions pass.
Why Districts Are Rushing to This Ballot
The driver is Senate Enrolled Act 1, the 2025 property tax law. Per WFYI's analysis, SEA 1's expanded homestead deductions mean less property tax revenue flows to school districts — the phase-in runs through 2031, shrinking the homestead tax base a step further every year. Layer that on the levy controls and existing circuit breaker losses (Marion County alone absorbs the state's largest, as we covered in the cap-loss deep dive), and a referendum is the one levy the squeeze cannot touch: voter-approved rates are collected outside the caps and outside the levy controls.
WFYI's reporting adds a second, quieter driver: a change in state law phases in sharing of local property tax revenue with charter schools starting in 2028, which changes the arithmetic of how much a district must ask for to net the same budget. Indianapolis is the extreme case — the IPS question splits its proceeds roughly evenly with about 60 charter schools, which is why passage still leaves IPS cutting $20 million.
One Ballot Every Two Years — the New Rule
There is a reason your May 2026 primary ballot had no school questions on it. As Chalkbeat Indiana reported, lawmakers changed the rules in 2025: school referendums may now appear only on the general election ballot in even-numbered years. Districts that once had two or more chances per year to make their case now get one shot every two years — miss November 2026, or lose it, and the next opportunity is November 2028.
That single change explains much of the crowding. Districts with referendum authority expiring in 2026 or 2027 must renew on this ballot or watch the levy lapse, and districts newly squeezed by SEA 1 cannot wait for a better political moment. Boards have until early August to approve a question for November, per WFYI, so the list below will grow.
The Verified List So Far
These are the districts whose boards we can verify approved November 2026 operating questions as of early July, with sourced rates. Treat this as a floor, not the field.
| District | County | Max rate (per $100 AV) | Term | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Public Schools (via IPEC) | Marion | $0.372 | 4 years | Operating (replaces expiring 19.6 cents) | WFYI |
| MSD of Decatur Township | Marion | $0.2690 | Not stated | Operating (replaces current ~29 cents) | Fox59 |
| Michigan City Area Schools | LaPorte | $0.2998 | 8 years | Operating (new) | WIMS |
| Tipton Community School Corp. | Tipton | $0.25 | Up to 8 years | Operating (district's first; capped at $2M/year) | Hamilton Co. Reporter |
The authoritative running list is the DLGF's Referendum Information page, which posts certified questions and rates as counties submit them. The two Marion County questions get the full local treatment in our November 2026 ballot voter guide.
Operating vs. Capital vs. Safety Questions
Indiana law recognizes three referendum types, and they read differently on your bill:
| Type | Funds | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Operating | Day-to-day costs — salaries, transportation, programs | Recurring rate for a fixed term (commonly 8 years; IPS is asking for 4), then expires unless renewed |
| Construction (capital) | Buildings and major projects | Bond issue; the levy is debt service that runs until the bonds retire |
| School safety | Security staffing and equipment | Recurring rate for a fixed term, like operating but narrower in purpose |
The distinction matters for how long the line lives on your bill. An operating or safety rate has an expiration date and a renewal vote; a construction levy is committed for the life of the bonds. Every type is outside the caps — that is what a referendum is, as our caps and circuit breakers explainer lays out. Since 2021, the ballot question itself must state the ask as a percentage increase in the average tax paid to the school corporation, a format Purdue Extension has unpacked.
What Recent Results Say About Pass Rates
The most recent completed cycle is instructive. In November 2025 — the last election before the even-year rule took hold — six Indiana school referendums went to voters, per Chalkbeat's results coverage: five passed, and all five were renewals (Avon, Cannelton, Duneland, Hanover, and Lake Central). The one new ask on the ballot, Northwest Allen Community Schools, failed, with 53.99% voting no.
The pattern voters keep confirming: renewals pass, new asks fight uphill. Voters already paying a rate rarely revolt against continuing it; a brand-new line is a harder sale. Applied to November 2026, that framework favors the replacement questions (IPS and Decatur are both technically replacing expiring rates, though IPS's is nearly double the old one) and puts first-time askers like Tipton in the tougher lane. And under the law change above, the November general election is now the only venue there is — no district gets a second try in a spring primary again.
What to Do If Your District Is on the List
- Find the actual rate and term — the DLGF page or your district's referendum materials, not campaign summaries.
- Compute the cap-proof cost: proposed rate × your net assessed value after deductions. That is the amount the caps will not shield.
- Check whether it replaces an expiring rate. The real change to your bill is the difference between old and new, not the headline rate.
- Vote with your number in hand — registration closes October 5, 2026.
Verify Your Numbers Before You Vote
A referendum rate multiplies your assessed value, so an inflated AV overcharges you on a line no cap can touch. Verify your parcel's assessed value and deduction status with our Property Lookup before November — and if the value is wrong, the next Form 130 cycle is how you shrink every rate that applies to it.