HUNTERTOWN — With only a week to go until the referendum, the Northwest Allen County School Board had one last chance to make its argument before it was presented to the voters.

Numerous members of the community spoke at the meeting Oct. 27, some in favor, and others opposed.

Huntertown resident Travis Striggle was one speaker who questioned the timing for the referendum, asking why it couldn’t be pushed back to 2026. Striggle also asked the board for a single example of a referendum that ended after its original eight-year period, stating this will stress taxpayers out of their homes.

Brandy Lemming, a Carroll High School teacher and mother of two, spoke in favor of the referendum, citing the need to do “what’s best for our kids.” Lemming described the referendum as “an investment in the community, not a burden.” Former NACS board president Kent Somers questioned the board for not going back to the legislative level to fix the problem instead of fixing it on a “local” level.

Other speakers tressed the need for transparency and cited the need for bigger raises for staff.

“A $3,000 raise is inadequate,” resident Ryan Houser stated, citing the years teachers have gone without raises compared to other local districts.

Most importantly, after nearly 42 presentations since June 2024, NACS Superintendent Wayne Barker stressed the importance of voters making up their own minds.

“I don’t think any of us should make any assumptions about any voters based upon if they yes or no on the referendum. I don’t want this to be divisive. I don’t like the misinformation,” Superintendent Wayne Barker said Oct. 27.

Barker discussed the hours he spent working with local legislators over Senate Bill 1 and the operating referendum.

“I’ve worked with many of our legislators, and I think all of you can get frustrated over legislative changes, but in their defense, our school district is a unicorn. We’re not like other school districts,” he said.

Barker also cited 5 other operating referendums that would be taking place in the state of Indiana that week. If passed, the referendum would provide funding for more safety resource officers, a career and technical education center and increased teacher salaries.

“It starts first of all with us being underfunded by $8 million annually, and for us to try to continue to ‘make do’, we can’t continue to ‘make do’ without making cuts,” Barker said. “We just can’t do it. The impact of the coming Senate Enrolled Act 1 doesn’t enable us to do that. So, we’re trying to meet the expectations that our parents and families have of us, but to do it, we just need more revenue, and we can’t make up that gap any other way.” Barker said.

In the end, the referendum is for “taking care of the people who take care of our students,” according to Barker.

In other news, the board:

• Accepted a donation valued at $650 for a flute and clarinet from the Wogomon family to be used in band music classes

• Were to meet with Baird Road residents Oct. 30 to present results from the traffic study for the possible career and technical education center