LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA -- Voters in Lake Station and Munster voted on Tuesday to raise their property taxes to support their local school districts, while East Chicago voters soundly rejected their district's referendum bid. Here are the unofficial figures, from the Lake County Board of Elections:
Munster -- Public Question #1 (School Tax Levy, Replacing One Passed In 2015 Referendum)
2903 67.94% Yes
1370 32.06% No
Public Question #2 (Building Repairs, Tech. Expansion Project)
2892 67.81% Yes
1373 32.19% No
Lake Station -- Public Question (School Tax Levy)
482 54.71% Yes
399 45.29% No
East Chicago -- Public Question (School Tax Levy)
561 21.82% Yes
2010 78.18% No
TURNOUT: Total 7,740, or 20% averaged over all three communities
– 23% of registered voters in Munster
– 18% of registered voters in Lake Station
– 14% of registered voters in East Chicago
School City of East Chicago Superintendent Paige McNulty issued a statement after receiving news of the referendum defeat:
"Tomorrow begins a new day for our students and our community. We believe and have faith in the future of our schools and all care deeply about our kids and their futures," she said.
"We will do what educators do best — make sure that our kids are safe, are nurtured and that we continue to prepare them for the educational, employment and public service opportunities of the future.
"Tonight's loss means that we will have to do more with less while meeting those and other challenges."
Lake County was one of five counties in the state holding a special referendum vote on school funding.
