UPDATE: Final Public Meeting on Indian River School District Referendum Wednesday Night

May 29, 2025/Mari Lou

In what was the last of three public meetings regarding the upcoming referendum on June 5th, Indian River school district officials gave a presentation last night outlining the referendum initiative. The meeting was held at Indian River High School. Dr. Jay Owens, Superintendent of the Indian River School District talked about why they elected to move forward with this second date after the March 20th referendum…

He adds that another factor in the decision was the voter turnout earlier this year–about 10,000 for and against the March 20th referendum —the largest turnout they ever had for the first round of a referendum.

 

Indian River School District officials continue to explain the financial situation in the district ahead of the June 5th referendum. Finance Director for the district, Tammy Smith at last night’s public meeting talked about the situation since 2017 and mentioned reasons they need a referendum to pass…
She added that transportation costs for private and athletic transportation, which is not regulated by the state as the regular bus routes are, has increased 176%. She also cited a shortage in the industry for bus drivers. The IRSD referendum is next Thursday, June 5th.Ā 
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Dr. Jay Owens, Superintendent of the Indian River School District also discussed potential budget cuts but emphasized that funding from the referendum is still essential.

The referendum will seek funding for increased operating costs and to maintain a competitive salary package for staff.

He mentioned a couple of changes regarding polling locations…

Dr. Owens adds that those locations were chosen by the Delaware Department of Elections. The polls will be open June 5th from 7 am to 8 pm.

 

Original Post:

The final public meeting before the Indian River School District current expense referendum is Wednesday night at 7pm at Indian River High School. The public is invited to attend ā€“ either in person or online. Questions from the public can be submitted during the meetings. There will be a presentation from district officials outlining the referendum initiative.

The referendum is scheduled for Thursday, June 5 from 7am to 8pm.

The link for the live stream will be posted Wednesday morning.

Click here for more information on the IRSD Referendum

 

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