Woodland Elementary School kindergarten students Nathan Choy, left, and Sincere McConnell, right, sit on the floor and work with flashcards during class Friday, Oct. 25, 2013. Elkhart Community Schools is cutting back on needed maintenance and repairs because of a lack of funds. (Truth Photo By Jennifer Shephard)
ELKHART — Like other public schools in Indiana, Elkhart Community Schools has less money than it did before the state mandated a cap on property taxes starting in 2009. And like other schools, Elkhart has a strategy in place to deal with the situation.
“The strategy is, we have just decreased what we are doing,” Doug Hasler, executive director of support service for Elkhart Community Schools, said.
That means that more students are walking to school, some up to two miles one way. It means that students who do catch a bus to school may have to walk up to half a mile to their bus stop.
There are fewer Elkhart buses on the road now — less than 100, where there used to be 120. And the buses that are still picking up students are older.
“We have not bought any buses this year, and we are likely to not buy any buses in 2014 either,” Hasler said, noting that Indiana says a bus is good for 12 years.
“From a short-term standpoint, we have a very high quality maintenance and repair program, and I don’t think we are putting students at risk,” he added. “But you can’t do that forever.”
The corporation is not able to maintain some of the school buildings, because there’s not enough money in the capital projects fund — one of the funds affected by property tax caps.
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