CROWN POINT | Inspired by a struggling region school district, a Crown Point lawmaker is studying a plan that would allow taxpayers to donate to school systems of their choice through income tax forms.
Indiana Rep. Shelli VanDenburgh, D-Crown Point, began to research the possibility after learning that the North Newton School Corp., based in Morocco, needs to replace more than 330 outdated or obsolete computers but doesn't have the money to do so.
"Today's world is technology driven," VanDenburgh said. "The kids who have access to it will usually have better paying jobs. To not have any knowledge is out of the question."
VanDenburgh said there are taxpayers who already feel they pay too much to local schools, but there are others who wouldn't mind donating more. She uses herself as an example, saying she would donate money to Lake Street Elementary School in Crown Point, where her children are students.
State income tax filers currently can opt to donate to the Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund when completing tax forms. VanDenburgh is looking into adding public schools to the mix.
North Newton Superintendent Terry Barker said VanDenburgh's idea could help his school system.
"I'm sure some residents would find it an attractive option for them," he said.
Barker said the school system funds technology through its capital projects fund. However, that fund also is used for building upkeep, and with the newest building built in the 1970s, Barker said much of the money goes to maintenance.
This year, the fund was able to provide about $50,000 to purchase new servers for the schools' computer system and was able to secure some new laptops through a grant. He said most of the computers that need to be replaced are between five and six years old.
"It's a finite amount of money and not a finite amount of need," Barker said.
In an e-mail from Mike Huffman, the special assistant on technology at the state's department of education, to the Newton County school district, Huffman outlined a grim funding picture.
"As you probably know, schools throughout the nation are facing an uphill struggle to just maintain what they currently have ... and visualizing almost insurmountable odds in improving their position," Huffman wrote in the e-mail.
