Citizens Make Case At Final South Dearborn School Board Meeting Before Signature Race Ends

By Mike Perleberg On Monday, February 20, citizens packed the final South Dearborn School Board meeting before the end of the petition and remonstrance race to determine whether $9.76 million in improvements can be made at South Dearborn High School. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3 (Aurora, Ind.) – Members of the South Dearborn Community Schools Board of Trustees did not respond Monday evening to the emotional pleas of citizens taking stands for or against proposed improvements at South Dearborn High School. But they did listen. “I just wanted to publicly thank those of you who are standing up and fighting for my students and fighting for my children and fighting for my community. Your efforts are not going unnoticed,” South Dearborn teacher and alum Shelby Baxter told the school board during the public comment portion of the board meeting. The school district is in the final week of a month-long petition and remonstrance race, a process Indiana law allows for citizens to prevent government entities from spending on projects over a certain dollar amount. In December, the school board voted to move forward with $9.76 million in renovations at the 39-year-old high school. Those improvements would include an artificial turf athletic field, a new indoor practice and activity building, updates and an expansion of the auditorium, and basic items such as lights and flooring. But the high school improvements would come at a cost to taxpayers. If allowed to proceed, property owners in Dillsboro, Moores Hill and in unincorporated areas would see their property taxes increase by $28.20 annually on a home valued at $100,000. In the City of Aurora, Indiana’s property tax cap law would limit the increase to $23.85 per $100,000 in valuation. The issue has created a divide in the district. There are those who believe residents cannot afford the potential tax increase. Others say the investment in children is worth it. Word of mouth, yard signs, social media pages and radio advertisements from both sides have been attempting to sway citizens to either “sign yellow” or “sign blue.” Citizens in favor of the high school improvements are circulating petitions printed on yellow paper. Opponents to the spending are seeking signatures on their blue form. Baxter, a yellow signer, said the issue is very important for her. “‘Okay’ is never okay for my school and it’s never okay for my community,” said Baxter, countering the argument that the high school’s current facilities are good enough as-is. Aurora resident Judy Howard told board members the money for a turf field and activity building should instead be used to build a new vocational training center for South Dearborn students. “This is where it has to go folks. I think this is insane,” said Howard. Vocational students at South Dearborn and several other area schools currently attend classes and training at the Southeastern Career Center in Versailles. Howard also expressed puzzlement at why the Dearborn County Clerk of Courts is involved in the petition and remonstrance process. No board member answered. The petition and remonstrance state law dictates that the county voter registration office – in Dearborn County’s case, the clerk of courts – handles many of the administrative duties of the signature race including verifying and counting petitions. The next speaker was former school board member Tony Hummel. He credited SDCSC Superintendent Dr. John Mehrle and the board for the steps they are taking. Hummel said Mehrle has moved the school corporation into “warp-speed”. “I don't know a farmer out there that will have their chickens sit on eggs without having a house to house them. If you want to go forward, I respect you and support you 100 percent,” Hummel said of the need for better facilities. The final speaker was parent Brandon Messmore, a self-described “East Central guy that married a South Dearborn girl.” One of the chief supporters of the petition in favor of the project, he wants better facilities for his four daughters to use as they grow through the school system. "The pride in this community is greater than I've seen in a long time," he said. Messmore said South Dearborn students may leave for other school districts such as Milan if the high school improvement project fails. “If we don’t invest in our kids right now, we’re going to lose students. If we lose students, we’re going to lose state funding. If we lose state funding, we’re going to have to start making cuts. Nobody wants to make cuts,” said Messmore, adding that a multi-purpose building might actually generate some money for the schools with weekend tournaments and other events. Messmore said the tax increase doesn’t sound like that much money to him. The petition and remonstrance process continues until Monday, February 27 at 4:00 p.m. That’s when all signature forms must be turned in at the Dearborn County Clerk of Courts office. The county clerk’s staff will then get to work verifying each of the signatures and checking that no individual is counted more than once. RELATED STORIES: South Dearborn HS Petition & Remonstrance Race Begins Wednesday School Board Vote Puts South Dearborn HS Upgrades To Signature Race Clerk Verifies Enough Signatures To Challenge South Dearborn HS Project Petition Puts South Dearborn High School Improvements Into Question