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Overview / Superintendent Message

At Mississinewa Community Schools, we believe transparency builds trust. Our community deserves to understand how school funding works, how your tax dollars are used, and the challenges we are facing as a district.

Indiana’s school funding system is complex. With recent legislative changes such as Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1), school districts across the state—including MCSC—are experiencing significant reductions in available revenue.

This page was created to clearly explain:

  • Where your dollars go
  • How school funding works
  • What challenges we face
  • What decisions lie ahead

I encourage you to explore the videos, presentations, and resources below—and please reach out with any questions. We are committed to open communication and informed decision-making for our students and community.

Financial Transparency Video Series

Slide Deck: School Finance Q & A

Watch The Video

Slide Deck: All About Referendums

Watch The Video

Slide Deck: Operational Referendum Presentation April 2026

Watch The Video

Mississinewa Community Schools Financial Highlights

  • 2026 Certified Assessed Value: $360,668,300
  • 2026 Property Tax Rate $1.4501 per $100 of assessed value 

  • Reduced tax rate by $0.11 since 2019

  • Credit Rating : "A"
  • Teacher Salary Range: $47,000 - $78,500
  • Average Daily Membership (student count) Fall 2026 : 2,131
  • Four Schools, 1 district building, over 476,350 building square feet and approximately 90 acres of land

 

Mississinewa Community Schools Financial Documents

School Finance in Indiana

School finance in Indiana is complex and highly regulated. The way school districts receive and spend money is very different from how personal or business finances operate. Schools must follow strict state guidelines that dictate how funds are collected, allocated, and used.

At Mississinewa Community School Corporation (MCSC), our funding comes from three primary sources:

Federal Funding

Mississinewa Community Schools receives a relatively small amount of federal funding, typically passed through the State of Indiana. These funds are targeted and restricted, often supporting specific programs such as Title services, special education, and student support initiatives.

State Funding

The State of Indiana provides funding using a formula that determines how much each district receives. This formula considers several factors, including:

  • Total student enrollment
  • Student learning needs
  • Poverty levels
  • Other demographic factors

For MCSC, state funding makes up a significant portion of our Education Fund, which is primarily used to support teacher salaries, instructional resources, and classroom learning.

Local Funding

Local property taxes play a critical role in supporting Mississinewa Community Schools. These funds are used to support:

  • Student transportation
  • Daily operations
  • Facility maintenance and improvements

Due to recent legislative changes, including Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1), school districts like MCSC are experiencing reductions in local revenue. This has created additional financial challenges for maintaining services such as transportation and operational needs.

To address these challenges, local communities—including Mississinewa—may pursue an operating referendum, which allows voters to decide whether to provide additional funding to support essential school operations.

How School Funds Are Managed: “Buckets”

Indiana law requires school funding to be separated into specific categories, often referred to as “buckets.” Each bucket has strict rules on how money can be used:

  • Education Fund – Teacher salaries, instructional materials, and classroom expenses
  • Operations Fund – Transportation, utilities, maintenance, and day-to-day operations
  • Referendum Fund – Voter-approved funding for operations or specific needs
  • Debt Service Fund – Payments for construction projects and facility bonds
  • Exempt Debt Fund – Certain long-term capital projects

Why This Matters

Because of these restrictions, funds cannot be freely moved between buckets.

This means that even if MCSC has funding available for capital improvements (like buildings or buses), those dollars cannot be used to increase teacher salaries or offset operational costs.

Our Commitment to Transparency

At Mississinewa Community Schools, we are committed to helping our community understand:

  • Where our funding comes from
  • How funds are allocated
  • The financial challenges we face due to state legislation
  • Why local support, including potential referendums, is critical to sustaining programs and services

We encourage all community members to stay informed and engaged as we navigate these financial realities together.

Funding Buckets

Bringing It All Together

Each fund serves a specific purpose:

  • Education Fund → Teaching and learning
  • Operations Fund → Running the district day-to-day
  • Debt Service Fund → Buildings and long-term improvements

Because these funds are legally separate, schools must carefully manage each one to ensure all aspects of the district—from classrooms to buses to buildings—are properly supported.

You May Be Wondering…

What is Mississinewa Community School Corporation doing to help lower my property taxes?

Mississinewa Community School Corporation (MCSC) is committed to being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. We continuously look for ways to reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and maximize every dollar we receive.

It’s important to understand that schools only receive a portion of your total property tax bill. In many cases, increases in property taxes are driven by rising assessed home values, not increases in school spending.

We recognize the financial pressures on our community and are working to balance fiscal responsibility while continuing to provide high-quality educational opportunities for our students.

Why is MCSC making facility updates instead of lowering taxes or increasing salaries?

MCSC has worked to address aging facilities, necessary repairs, and long-term maintenance needs to ensure safe and effective learning environments for our students.

In Indiana, school funding is divided into specific “buckets.” Facility projects are funded through the Debt Service Fund (bonds/loans) and cannot legally be used for teacher salaries or daily operations.

This means that even when facility improvements are made, those dollars cannot be redirected to increase salaries or offset operational costs. These financial structures are set by state law, not local decision-making.

Why does MCSC need an operating referendum?

Recent changes in state legislation, including SEA 1, have significantly reduced the amount of funding available to school districts like MCSC. At the same time, costs for transportation, utilities, insurance, and daily operations continue to rise.

An operating referendum would provide local funding support to help offset these losses and allow MCSC to:

  • Maintain student transportation
  • Support daily school operations
  • Retain and recruit high-quality staff
  • Continue providing strong academic programming and student services

Without additional local support, districts across Indiana—including MCSC—are being forced to make difficult decisions about programs and services.

Taxpayer Impact

What is MCSC doing to cut costs?

MCSC has taken proactive steps to manage expenses responsibly, including:

  • Reducing staffing through attrition and restructuring positions
  • Combining roles to increase efficiency
  • Reviewing all contracts and vendor agreements for cost savings
  • Seeking grants and partnerships to support programs
  • Carefully evaluating all expenditures to prioritize student impact

Unlike private businesses, schools operate under strict legal guidelines. We cannot:

  1. Raise prices to offset rising costs
  2. Eliminate required services
  3. Move money freely between funds to meet needs

How have property tax caps and recent legislation impacted MCSC?

Indiana’s property tax cap laws have already limited the amount of revenue schools can collect. More recent legislation, including SEA 1, is projected to further reduce funding for MCSC by over $1 million annually, with continued impacts in future years.

These changes have created a growing gap between available funding and the actual cost of operating schools, increasing the need for districts to consider operating referendums to sustain services.

How does Tax Increment Financing (TIF) impact MCSC funding?

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts are designed to support local economic development. However, property taxes generated within TIF areas are redirected away from schools to support those development projects.

While TIF can benefit the community in the long term, it can also reduce the amount of funding that flows directly to school districts like MCSC.

In some cases, schools may receive referendum-related revenue from growth within TIF areas, but overall, TIF can limit general fund revenue available for operations.

How does Indiana's Education Funding compare Nationally?

See the articles below to understand how Indiana stacks up nationally in Educational Funding:

More Questions?

We encourage our community to stay informed and engaged. If you have questions about school funding, finances, or the upcoming referendum, please reach out.

Jeremy M. Fewell
Superintendent
Mississinewa Community School Corporation
📞 (765) 475-6412
EMAIL

You can also schedule time to meet directly:
https://calendar.app.google/KDSfrYhvDWWFDwM37