NORTH VERNON, Ind. — The Jennings County School Corporation (JCSC) is urging state lawmakers to protect local income tax distributions for public education after alerting them to severe funding shortfalls under Senate Enrolled Act 1.
JCSC Superintendent Nicole Johnson and Business Manager Philip Marsh presented testimony during the Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST) meeting at North Vernon City Hall on Thursday, October 15.
The school district faces an estimated annual revenue loss of $918,000 when the legislation takes full effect.
The losses include:
- $749,000 from local Education Fund income tax credits for classroom instruction/teacher salaries
- $168,000 from Property Tax Replacement Credit (PTRC) impacts
JCSC administration noted that the district has already absorbed or eliminated 80 positions over the past four years due to declining enrollment. School officials warned that losing local income tax distributions will force district leadership to consider building closures, boundary redistricting, and program eliminations.
The task force unanimously passed a motion to include JCSC’s petition in its final report to the state, officially requesting that the Indiana legislature allow school corporations to continue receiving local income tax allocations.
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