West Side connects transfer policy, referendum in new survey

Plus, fallout from the Indiana Senate’s rejection of redistricting. And more.

• Support for this edition comes from the Art League of the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. Visit the Art League’s Bling on a Budget sale 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Art Museum, 102 S. 10th St. in Lafayette. Purchase donated gently used costume and fine jewelry, scarves, ties, watches and purses at incredibly low prices. Secret Bid auction for select gold, sterling and designer items. Benefits Art Museum and art educator scholarships. Thrift your Bling!

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• Support for Based in Lafayette also comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting the 10 Year Steinway Anniversary Recital. Join us as we welcome back American Piano Awards laureate Eric Zuber to honor the 10th anniversary of Purdue Convocations’ exceptional Steinway D concert grand piano. Zuber—lauded for his work in Romantic repertoire—will showcase the instrument with masterpieces from Beethoven, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky. A stunning performance for any classical music lover. Sunday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. in Loeb Playhouse. Reserve your seats.

Get tickets here

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WEST SIDE SURVEY ON REFERENDUM, STUDENT TRANSFER POLICY NOW LIVE

Following up on last week’s West Lafayette school board conversation about finances in an age of property tax reform, what to do about student transfer policies and the prospects of going to voters again in 2026 for an updated property tax referendum, West Side sent a new survey for parents and the community to gauge sentiment beyond the school walls.

The survey, delivered over the weekend and specifically dealing with the district’s transfer policy and referendum options, is open through 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Superintendent Shawn Greiner said Monday that he and the school board “encourage all community stakeholders to complete the survey so we can better understand their perspectives on the two topics addressed: transfer policy and the referendum.”

Among the questions the board is asking the West Side community to sort through:

• Whether community members favor accepting out-of-district student transfers, up to a total enrollment of 2,300, or closing the district to transfer students starting with the 2026-27 school year.

• Whether they’d vote for or against a property tax referendum at the current 37 cents-per-$100 of net assessed value; at a 59.16-cent level laid out by a consultant last week to cover anticipated losses in property tax revenue and state funding due to declining enrollment; or for neither.

• Whether they’d vote for a property tax referendum of any kind if West Lafayette continued to accept transfer students, considering that a new state law prevents the district from collecting between $3,000 and $4,000 per student in transfer tuition.

• And whether a school board decision on a student transfer policy would affect their decision to live in the district or move out.

To get to the survey, along with a page of enrollment and financial data from the school administration, here’s a link or go to www.wl.k12.in.us.

For more on the school board’s most recent conversation about the referendum and transfer policy, this is from a BiL edition last week:

Consultant: West Lafayette schools need to prepare a new type of property tax referendum

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REDISTRICTING NO-GO: THE FALLOUT

Things have been a bit wild since Friday, when state Sen. Rod Bray, Indiana Senate leader, announced that the votes weren’t there in his chamber to actually meet in special session about redistricting the state’s nine congressional districts to give them a more Republican lean by the 2026 midterm elections than the 7-2 advantage the seats reflect today.

Among the moments …

President Donald Trump, who has been pressing Indiana to get on board with the idea, went off on Republicans balking or not willing to commit, as well as on Gov. Mike Braun for not getting Indiana senators to the table. He posted this on Truth Social on Sunday morning:

Very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats. The Democrats have done redistricting for years, often illegally, and all other appropriate Republican States have done it. Because of these two politically correct type “gentlemen,” and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL! California is trying to pick up five seats, and no one is complaining about that. It’s weak “Republicans” that cause our Country such problems — It’s why we have crazy Policies and Ideas that are so bad for America. Also, a friend of mine, Governor Mike Braun, perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary Votes. Considering that Mike wouldn’t be Governor without me (Not even close!), is disappointing! Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED. Indiana is a State with strong, smart, and patriotic people. They want us to see our Country WIN, and want to, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Senators Bray, Goode, and the others to be released to the public later this afternoon, should DO THEIR JOB, AND DO IT NOW! If not, let’s get them out of office, ASAP.

Indiana Capital Chronicle editor Niki Kelly had this, with more context: “Trump targets Gov. Mike Braun, Senate Republicans in redistricting spat.”

By Monday morning, Braun said he’d caught with Trump in a phone call, saying that he was still bound to the idea of “passing fair maps in Indiana to ensure the MAGA agenda is successful in Congress.” He, too, railed on Indiana Senate Republicans.

Sunday evening, Sen. Greg Goode – whose apparent offense that caught Trump’s ire was not saying how he would vote on redistricting and asking people in his district to weigh in on the idea during a recent town hall – reported that he’d been targeted by a swatting incident that brought police to his Vigo County home for fake reports of a domestic abuse situation. “While this entire incident is unfortunate and reflective of the volatile nature of our current political climate, I give thanks to God that my family and I are ok,” Goode said in a statement released Sunday.

IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange had more on that here: “State senator is victim of swatting hours after Trump called him out over redistricting.”

Braun was calling for restraint on that angle of the episode, posting that “targeting elected officials and their families in their homes or private lives has no place in Indiana.”

ICYMI … Here’s what two Republican senators whose districts include Tippecanoe County were saying over the weekend, after a special session was scuttled for now. Sen. Spencer Deery, a West Lafayette Republican in District 23, has been outspoken in his opposition to mid-decade redistricting, saying Saturday that “normalizing mid-cycle gerrymandering would create a culture in which a political party could select new voters not once a decade, but any time it feared the consequences of an approaching election.” Sen. Ron Alting, a Lafayette Republican in District 22, had publicly called for redistricting, telling BiL over the weekend that he’d heard from constituents whose “concerns were clear, and I shared those views during our internal discussions.”

Here’s more:

Redistricting push dies in Indiana, what Sens. Deery, Alting are saying

Then, heading into Tuesday’s Organization Day, an annual set-up for the start of next year’s General Assembly session in January, Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Tom Davies had this from the Statehouse Monday afternoon: “Republican Indiana legislative leaders avoided taking questions Monday about the political pressure they are facing from President Donald Trump over congressional redistricting, while the governor accused GOP senators of ‘hiding behind closed doors.’ … Bray and (Indiana House Speaker Todd) Huston both took part in a Monday panel session sponsored by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as a preview of the upcoming session. They did not discuss the redistricting controversy during the hour-long program — and both quickly left without talking with reporters and TV news crews who followed them. During the program, Bray referred in passing to redistricting as he said ‘this is a strange build up to the legislative session.’ Bray later indicated he was sticking by the Senate’s plan of not meeting in December by saying: ‘It’s our anticipation, as I said last week, that we’re going to come in January 5th.’ … Trump raised a blatant political threat in a social media post Monday in which he said he ‘will be strongly endorsing against any State Senator or House member from the Great State of Indiana that votes against the Republican Party, and our Nation, by not allowing for Redistricting for Congressional seats in the United States House of Representatives as every other State in our Nation is doing, Republican or Democrat.’” For more from the Indiana Capital Chronicle report: “Indiana legislative leaders dodge discussing redistricting pressure.”

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THIS AND THAT/OTHER READS …

• Purdue men’s basketball was back to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday, after a wins on the road against then-No. 8 Alabama and at home Sunday against Akron. Purdue and Houston swapped the top positions again this week, after the Boilers were the preseason No. 1 and the Cougars held that slot after the season opened. Here’s the weekly poll, out Monday.

• The Indiana Makers Market Pop-Up Shop, set for a three-weekend holiday run starting Nov. 29 at Wea Creek Orchard just south of Lafayette, popped up in a USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards poll for holiday markets. The list includes markets in Carmel, New York, Chicago, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and more. “I know it is really just a popularity contest,” Angela Vinson, who organizes the Indiana Makers Market pop-ups through the year, said. “But to be included is pretty cool.” Voting runs through noon Dec. 1, with a Top 10 announced Dec. 10, according to USA Today. The Indiana Makers Market will be open Nov. 29-30, Dec. 5-7 and Dec. 12-14 at Wea Creek Orchard, 5618 S. County Road 200 East. For hours and details, go to IndianaMakersMarket.com.

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LAST CALL: GIVE TO UNITED WAY, GET MORE BiL

Click here for the deal

Still in play: Donate to United Way’s campaign, get a free month to your all-access Based in Lafayette subscription, whether new or existing.

United Way’s annual campaign is in its final push heading toward a deadline of Thursday, Nov. 20, with a goal to reach $4.5 million to help fund two dozen community nonprofit agencies in Greater Lafayette in the coming year. These are places that stand in the gaps to fight hunger, find decent housing, provide afterschool activities for kids, put mental health resources in reach, offer child care for working families and more.

“Even a small bump in donations can close real gaps in funding for essential services — housing stability, mental health support, child care, food access and more,” Virginia Vought, the 2025 United Way campaign chair, said Monday.

“There’s meaningful movement happening, and this is when it matters most,” Vought said. “Every dollar stays right here in the community, and agencies are already planning their service capacity for next year based on campaign results. End-of-campaign giving directly affects the number of families who get help, especially as demand rises. Behind the scenes, this is the moment when community leaders, employers and volunteers are making their final outreach. These last-minute reminders often determine whether the campaign hits its goal. It’s a small window where individual participation makes an outsized difference.”

So …

Here’s the deal for BiL readers, new and old: I’ll add a free month to your new or existing full-access Based in Lafayette subscription for a donation of any amount to the 2025 United Way campaign through Thursday, Nov. 20.

Use this link: https://bit.ly/basedinlafayette

Thanks to those BiL readers who already have stepped up. Look for your subscription update soon.

Thanks, again, for support from Purdue Convocations, presenting the 10 Year Steinway Anniversary Recital featuring Eric Zuber at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, in Loeb Playhouse. Reserve your seats.

Thanks, also, to the Art League of the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. Visit the Art League’s Bling on a Budget sale 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Art Museum, 102 S. 10th St. in Lafayette. The sale benefits Art Museum and art educator scholarships.

Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here.

Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.