Local school districts discuss potential losses from Senate Bill 1

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- ABC57 spoke with several school districts in St. Joe County Tuesday about Senate Bill 1, and how it could impact Indiana schools.

Schools across the state get the majority of their funding from property taxes. Indiana Senate Bill 1, which passed the state Senate during a midnight session Tuesday, lowers property taxes for the majority of homeowners over the next three years by an estimated $300.

As a result, schools across Indiana are projected to lose a combined $744 million.

SBCSC is the district expected to be impacted the most, with a projected budget loss of $27.4 million.

PHM schools are projected to lose $6.9 million, and the School City of Mishawaka could lose up to $3.9 million.

Governor Braun signed the bill into law shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday.

PHM administrators say they may see a slowdown in some school projects but overall feel the district is in good shape with their budget and is well prepared for the cuts.

The School City of Mishawaka has already started trimming the budget down as per the Governors directive but doesn’t plan to make any significant changes (if any are needed) until the final budget runs for the bill are released.