Consequences of the Referendum Renewal's Success or Failure

I became a teacher because I love working with kids. Now I get to lead this amazing school district and see first-hand how our 1,600 employees impact almost 11,000 students every day. 

When I decided that I wanted a career in public education, referendums weren’t even a thing in Indiana. Now referendums are the reality for dozens of school districts across our state — and dozens more who will be considering a referendum in 2026. Given years of inadequate state funding of public education, school districts have no choice but to go to their local communities and ask for support of lower class sizes, competitive teacher compensation, and more opportunities for students.

I’m not on social media — but I’ve got a lot of friends who are, and I’m disappointed at lies, misinformation, and slander that have become hallmarks of some social media chatter pages. Our focus as a school district has been to model the best behavior for our students — staying positive and factual, and keeping our community informed — all while countering inaccurate information. 

This is a referendum renewal — continuing vital supports that our students have had since 2018. Small class sizes, great educators, and more instructional supports were what we promised in 2018 and what we’ve delivered every year since. I want to try to cut through the noise and share exactly what will happen based on the decision of our community.

Both a yes and a no vote have consequences. 

A yes vote means: 

• We will continue our small class sizes that have been in place since 2018 (22 or fewer in kindergarten and 25 or fewer in grades 1-8). 
• 142 teachers paid with referendum funds will remain employed in our schools. 
• 31 support staff paid with referendum funds will remain employed in our schools. 
• We will continue the positive academic gains we have seen over the last 7 years (ex: last year’s highest graduation rate on record and highest standardized testing rank of the last 10 years). 
• Extra-curricular activities for students will be maintained. 

A no vote means: 

• As teaching and support staff positions come open in the remainder of the 2025-26 school year, we will not fill them. Class sizes will get larger and student support positions will be reduced through attrition. 
• In Spring 2026, we will begin issuing Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to staff in advance of the 2026-27 school year. State law dictates this must happen for teaching staff between May 1 and July 1. 
• Through attrition and reductions, prior to the start of the next school year (2026-27), we will reduce approximately 173 positions to balance our budget with no referendum continuation. Class sizes will increase to what they were before the 2018 referendum (approx. 30 in elementary, approx. 30-40 in secondary classrooms).   
• Our academic success will be impacted. Just look at what happened from 2011 to 2018 after our last failed referendum.   
• Extra-curricular activities for students will be reduced. 

I’ve heard people say, “Avon Schools needs to learn to live within its means.” The sad reality is that until the state legislature changes the way public schools are funded, communities have to rise up to cover the gap. This is how our legislators have set up school funding since 2010. We simply cannot provide the education our students deserve and our community expects without this continued investment. 

I’ve lived in this community for almost 20 years and both my daughters have gone all the way through Avon Schools. For those of us in Avon from 2011-2018, we remember large class sizes for our kids. We remember great teachers being cut or leaving. We remember programs getting cut. We remember test scores falling. We remember the challenges. There were very real and immediate consequences from that failed 2011 referendum.

For those of us who were here in 2018, we have seen what is possible when class sizes decrease and our students have the resources and supports necessary. We’ve been excited by exemplary academic and extra-curricular successes that our students have earned and achieved in recent years both inside and outside the classroom. These have been real consequences from our community’s decision in 2018.  

Your vote — or your decision not to vote — has consequences. Early voting started this week and as we enter these final days before Election Day, I felt it important to make it clear just how important this decision is for our students and for our community as we look to the future.

Sincerely,

Scott Wyndham, Ed.D.
Superintendent