Rob James

The Lake Central School Corporation's sizeable budget surplus may be short-lived.

The Lake Central School Corporation will soon be looking at changes to its elementary school boundaries.

As lawmakers plan for the 2024 legislative session, school leaders are urging them to change the property tax referendum language.

The Lake Central School Corporation plans to dip into its education fund to help cover the cost of textbooks. School districts in Indiana are no longer allowed to pass along textbook fees to parents, but school officials don't think the state set aside enough money to fully make up the difference.

Indiana schools are seeing an unprecedented increase in state funding, but rising costs and declining enrollment could lower the impact. The General Assembly increased K-12 education funding by almost $1.5 billion during this year's session.

Enrollment at the Lake Central School Corporation is down — or up slightly, depending on how you count.

Local school officials are concerned about the potential impact of property tax relief legislation.

The Lake Central School Corporation is reporting a slight drop in enrollment. September's official count showed 9,094 students, a decrease of 134 from last fall.

Lake Central school officials do not believe the district's mask mandate and subsequent repeal had a big impact on enrollment, but Director of Business Services Rob James says the full effect remains to be seen.