No.Smith-Green voters approved the current operating referendum in 2018. The 2026 question asks whether that referendum authority should be renewed for another eight years.The funding provided by the current referendum ends after 2026 unless voters approve an extension.

An operating referendum allows a local community to authorize additional property-tax revenue for the day-to-day educational and operational needs of its public schools.For Smith-Green, referendum revenue is separate from construction debt. It can support the people and services students interact with every day, including teachers and staff, class sizes, transportation, health and safety initiatives, and academic and student-support programs.Indiana law allows an operating referendum for a limited period of time. Smith-Green's proposed renewal would last no more than eight years.

The current eight-year referendum is reaching the end of its term.At the same time, Indiana changed its property-tax system through Senate Enrolled Act 1. Those changes affect deductions, credits, exemptions and the amount of taxable property value available to support schools and other local governments.Smith-Green therefore has two things happening at the same time: the existing referendum is expiring, and the property-tax system that helps fund local schools is changing. The 2026 referendum gives the community a decision about local operating funding for the next eight years.