Since scheduling classes, some students have been informed that either their desired course will not be offered or there will be changes to the class organization. Prospective AP French students were told they will have a combined period with French IV, while AP Music Theory students were told that the course would not be offered at all.
One option in question was to combine the AP French class and French IV class to create a class of 30 total people. Prospective AP French students dislike the idea of this large class. “There’s 12 of us in the class, but it’s really great to have a small group. You build a different kind of bond,” said French IV student Holden Grey. The idea of a large class is unnerving for some. “I do not think there should be a class with over 30 kids in it when there are two different classes being taught,” French IV student Lillyan Keevers said. There is a real fear that their education will be disrupted. “I will not be able to do things as confidently as I can right now if there are 30 people in the room and a majority of them aren’t doing the same things as us,” Grey said. Another potential option was to place the AP French students in Madame Fox’s new study hall period next year. “We would be enrolled in that study hall and just learn the class by ourselves and [Fox] would come advise us, but we would still be in the study hall room with all the other kids,” Keevers said. It is unclear at this time if students would be getting grades for the course or would just learn the material and take the AP test.
On the contrary, AP Music Theory is not being offered for an established reason. In the past, AP Music Theory has only been offered every other year due to its pre-requisite requirements of being in an advanced ensemble and having already taken Music Theory. Because of these requirements, AP Music Theory teacher Christina Crawford advises the class every other year to allow for students to fulfill these prerequisite requirements. The changes to AP Music Theory is different from the changes being discussed in the French classes as the changes to French have never been done before.
Questions about why these changes are occurring have arisen. In short, the primary reason is a lack of funding. This lack of funding comes from the passing and signing of the Senate Enrolled Act. This act will roll out taxation rate changes over the coming years. Notably, the property tax rate will be adjusted. Property taxes in an area are a primary source of revenue for public schools. This new bill will lower the net-assessed values of property thus leading to lower property taxes and school funding.
Every school district will be affected differently based on the property taxes of the area the school is located. The Indiana Coalition For Public Education (ICPE) compiled data to allow for an estimate of lost funding based on the new tax rate over the next three years. Using the ICPE’s estimates Perry Township is estimated to lose roughly 13.5 million dollars in funding over the next three years. 13.5 million is a large sum of money, but it is less severe than what other schools are facing. According to the ICPE, the Hamilton Southeastern School Corp is estimated to lose roughly 26.7 million dollars in revenue over the next three years. This discrepancy is due to the higher property values in their district. Because of this larger cut in funding, WTHR reports that Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) was forced to layoff 18 teacher layoffs and over 40 districtwide non-teaching positions are also being reduced. Although 6 of those teaching layoffs have been recalled due to additional retirements and resignations, the overall reduction in force remains the same.
Perry appears to be taking a different approach. Instead of laying off teachers, it appears the attempt is to reduce the force naturally and leave certain positions unfilled. According to the most recent Perry Township Personnel Report from May 11, 2026, there are currently 13 confirmed teacher resignations and only 11 recommended for employment. This difference seems miniscule but with an additional nine confirmed teacher transfers happening, it is clear that Perry Township is attempting to reorganize. There are currently 41 confirmed support staff resignations and only 13 support staff recommendations for employment. An additional 21 support staff are being transferred around the township. Overall, it is clear that Perry doesn’t intend to lay off teachers and support staff, they are aiming to reduce the overall number of salaries in order to offset the loss in revenue from Senate Enrolled Act 1.
The tangible effects this will have are more of what was discussed with the French program. Teachers being asked to take on a larger load of work and a larger number of students. These changes to classes will change the environment of schools across the district. The changes will be incremental due to the nature of the legislation so next school year may only be slightly different. But, as the effects of the revenue changes become more prevalent, more changes are likely to occur.
