West Lafayette Community Supports Schools; Approves Referendum Question
West Lafayette, IN (November 8, 2023) - West Lafayette Community School Corporation District voters approved the funding request on the November 7 ballot.
The question passed with 80% (2009) voting yes and 20% (488) voting no. The operating referendum renewal will generate approximately $7 million in annual revenue to be used to retain and attract teachers and staff, fund academic programming and provide needed operating expenditures.
“The referendum question passed on the Nov. 7 election will make a big difference in the learning environment for our students,” said West Lafayette Superintendent Shawn Greiner. “We thank all voters who made their voices heard, and we thank all of you for supporting our students, families and hard-working staff for believing in the continued success of our thriving community.”
What This Approval Means
The approval of the referendum question will support students and staff:
“We are very grateful for the continued support of our community for our students and schools. We understand that not everyone voted yes and pledge to continue to be good and transparent financial stewards with focus upon our students as we move forward with our plans for the levy.”
The community will be informed at every step of the process with regular updates from the school district.
For More Information
Visit wl.k12.in.us for more information about West Lafayette School Corporation.
The question passed with 80% (2009) voting yes and 20% (488) voting no. The operating referendum renewal will generate approximately $7 million in annual revenue to be used to retain and attract teachers and staff, fund academic programming and provide needed operating expenditures.
“The referendum question passed on the Nov. 7 election will make a big difference in the learning environment for our students,” said West Lafayette Superintendent Shawn Greiner. “We thank all voters who made their voices heard, and we thank all of you for supporting our students, families and hard-working staff for believing in the continued success of our thriving community.”
What This Approval Means
The approval of the referendum question will support students and staff:
- By offering competitive salaries and benefits compared to other school districts
- Providing salaries and benefits of transportation and maintenance/custodial staff
- Covering expenditures for transportation-related contracted services including the maintenance of buses
“We are very grateful for the continued support of our community for our students and schools. We understand that not everyone voted yes and pledge to continue to be good and transparent financial stewards with focus upon our students as we move forward with our plans for the levy.”
The community will be informed at every step of the process with regular updates from the school district.
For More Information
Visit wl.k12.in.us for more information about West Lafayette School Corporation.
Survey shows strong community support in West Lafayette schools
October 9, 2023 (West Lafayette, IN)
Voters living in the West Lafayette school district rate their school corporation highly and believe it provides a good value to the community, according to a community opinion survey conducted by The Morris Leatherman Company in August.
The survey also noted that more than three quarters of voters living in the West Lafayette school district support a renewal of the referendum that supplies funds for teachers and educational programs.
“We ask community members to give their school district a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F,” said Dr. Don Lifto, with Morris Leatherman, in a presentation to the school board on October 9. “West Lafayette residents gave the district A or B grades at a rate 30 points higher than the national benchmark. This is an excellent rating as compared to what we've seen over many years of polling.”
Opinions about the school corporation
According to the survey, the school district does well in many areas. Areas highly rated by voters included keeping students and schools safe and secure, helping students achieve high levels of academic performance, and preparing students for college. Some of the results include:
Opinions about the upcoming referendum
Community support is traditionally strong as voters in West Lafayette approved one of the state’s first school levies in a referendum in 2010 that saw 66% voting yes. When the first levy was set to expire, support rose to 94% voting yes in 2017 to renew the levy at the same rate. Survey results continue to show strong support for the school levy referendum to be held in November.
About West Lafayette Community School Corporation
West Lafayette is recognized as one of the best public school districts in Indiana and the country. Each year, West Lafayette consistently ranks as one of the top public school districts and among the top five high schools in the state by Niche.com and US News & World Report. It is consistently rated highly in music, art and STEM education.
The West Lafayette Community School Corporation school board approved ballot language in July to renew an operating levy to attract and retain teachers and staff, and fund academic programming and operating expenditures. No tax rate increase is proposed with this operating levy renewal.
Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Dr. Shawn Greiner, superintendent, at (765-746-1602, [email protected]).
October 9, 2023 (West Lafayette, IN)
Voters living in the West Lafayette school district rate their school corporation highly and believe it provides a good value to the community, according to a community opinion survey conducted by The Morris Leatherman Company in August.
The survey also noted that more than three quarters of voters living in the West Lafayette school district support a renewal of the referendum that supplies funds for teachers and educational programs.
“We ask community members to give their school district a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F,” said Dr. Don Lifto, with Morris Leatherman, in a presentation to the school board on October 9. “West Lafayette residents gave the district A or B grades at a rate 30 points higher than the national benchmark. This is an excellent rating as compared to what we've seen over many years of polling.”
Opinions about the school corporation
According to the survey, the school district does well in many areas. Areas highly rated by voters included keeping students and schools safe and secure, helping students achieve high levels of academic performance, and preparing students for college. Some of the results include:
- Nearly 9 in 10 voters (86% of those with an opinion) give the school corporation an A or B grade – less than 1% gave grades of D or F. In comparison, 54% of resident’s nationwide gave their local school districts an A or B ranking in the PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools
- 93% agree or strongly agree with the statement that the schools keep students safe and secure
- 90% agree or strongly agree that investment in West Lafayette schools is a good value
- 87% agree or strongly agree West Lafayette schools help students achieve high academic performance
- 86% agree or strongly agree the community has trust and confidence in the professionalism of its teaching staff
Opinions about the upcoming referendum
Community support is traditionally strong as voters in West Lafayette approved one of the state’s first school levies in a referendum in 2010 that saw 66% voting yes. When the first levy was set to expire, support rose to 94% voting yes in 2017 to renew the levy at the same rate. Survey results continue to show strong support for the school levy referendum to be held in November.
- More than three quarters of voters living in the West Lafayette school district support a renewal of the referendum
- More than three quarters of voters support using referendum funds for:
- Maintaining competitive compensation to attract and retain quality staff
- Maintaining programs to help students struggling with core academic subjects and extracurricular activities
- Maintaining class sizes
- More than three quarters of voters would be more likely to support a referendum knowing that it would avoid needing to make $7 million in budget cuts, which is equal to more than 70 staff positions, and would result in larger class sizes.
About West Lafayette Community School Corporation
West Lafayette is recognized as one of the best public school districts in Indiana and the country. Each year, West Lafayette consistently ranks as one of the top public school districts and among the top five high schools in the state by Niche.com and US News & World Report. It is consistently rated highly in music, art and STEM education.
The West Lafayette Community School Corporation school board approved ballot language in July to renew an operating levy to attract and retain teachers and staff, and fund academic programming and operating expenditures. No tax rate increase is proposed with this operating levy renewal.
Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Dr. Shawn Greiner, superintendent, at (765-746-1602, [email protected]).
Board Seeks Referendum Fund Renewal in November Election
July 10, 2023 (West Lafayette, IN) The West Lafayette Community School Corporation school board approved ballot language during its July 10 meeting to renew an operating levy to attract and retain teachers and staff, and fund academic programming and operating expenditures. No tax increase is proposed with this operating levy renewal.
West Lafayette is recognized as one of the best public school districts in Indiana and the country. West Lafayette is ranked as the #1 public school among 291 in Indiana and #8 of 10,751 in the US, as reported by Niche rating. The corporation is ranked #4 in the state; 341 nationally by US News & World Report.
Superintendent, Dr. Shawn Greiner expressed gratitude to the community for its past support of the school corporation, noting “Voters have approved operating levy referenda in 2010 and 2017 by 65.5% and 94.3% respectively. We are grateful for the confidence voters have placed in the school corporation and for the ability to continue important staffing and programming levels that support our goal of excellence in education.”
The referendum, which makes up 18% of the district’s revenue, collects 37 cents per $100 of assessed property value. If voters approve the question on the November 7 ballot, property taxes would stay the same as they are today. The school corporation receives the third lowest amount of per-pupil funding among all Indiana districts.
The school corporation is committed to sharing factual information about the referendum, its impact on student learning, and its impact on the community. Community meetings will be held to discuss the needs and referendum, information will be posted on the school corporation’s website, and will be shared on social media and through other media platforms. Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Dr. Shawn Greiner, superintendent, at (765-746-1602, [email protected]).
July 10, 2023 (West Lafayette, IN) The West Lafayette Community School Corporation school board approved ballot language during its July 10 meeting to renew an operating levy to attract and retain teachers and staff, and fund academic programming and operating expenditures. No tax increase is proposed with this operating levy renewal.
West Lafayette is recognized as one of the best public school districts in Indiana and the country. West Lafayette is ranked as the #1 public school among 291 in Indiana and #8 of 10,751 in the US, as reported by Niche rating. The corporation is ranked #4 in the state; 341 nationally by US News & World Report.
Superintendent, Dr. Shawn Greiner expressed gratitude to the community for its past support of the school corporation, noting “Voters have approved operating levy referenda in 2010 and 2017 by 65.5% and 94.3% respectively. We are grateful for the confidence voters have placed in the school corporation and for the ability to continue important staffing and programming levels that support our goal of excellence in education.”
The referendum, which makes up 18% of the district’s revenue, collects 37 cents per $100 of assessed property value. If voters approve the question on the November 7 ballot, property taxes would stay the same as they are today. The school corporation receives the third lowest amount of per-pupil funding among all Indiana districts.
The school corporation is committed to sharing factual information about the referendum, its impact on student learning, and its impact on the community. Community meetings will be held to discuss the needs and referendum, information will be posted on the school corporation’s website, and will be shared on social media and through other media platforms. Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Dr. Shawn Greiner, superintendent, at (765-746-1602, [email protected]).
