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Indianapolis Public Schools face $21.8 million budget shortfall in 2017

District may ask for tax referendum
Posted at 7:09 PM, Mar 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-14 20:27:22-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Public Schools face a $21.8 million deficit in 2017 and the district needs to make some difficult choices in order to cover the shortfall. 

District officials attribute the deficit to decreased state funding over the past two years and the decision to invest in teacher pay raises.

IPS Superintendent Lewis Ferebee says he has no regrets about spending money on people in the classrooms.

One option to cover the gap is closing high schools, possibly as soon as the fall of 2018, though no school has been identified at this time.

The district also expects to find savings in transportation and services provided by the central office.

If the deficit continues, voters may be asked to pass a tax referendum to support the salaries of teachers and staff in the future.