INDIANAPOLIS – Public schools seeking extra revenue from taxpayers need to be careful about using students to help promote their ballot proposals.

Nobody is saying that’s what’s happening in Indiana’s Wayne Township school district, but the situation smells a little funny.

An item recently appeared in the district’s online newsletter, announcing that two high school government classes have undertaken a new project.

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The students are encouraging Wayne Township residents to register to vote, and are presumably helping some do so, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act.

That’s all fine and good, except for one thing: The newsletter mentions that the goal of the project is to register as many voters as possible before the “deadline on April 6.”

Since when is there a deadline to register to vote? There isn’t. That’s something that can be done any day government offices are open.

But April 6 is the deadline to register to vote in the Wayne Township school district’s May 5 millage election. The district is asking local voters to approve a property tax increase that would raise $62 million over seven years.

Of course every eligible citizen has an absolute right to participate in this election, and if students can convince them to register and vote, that’s simply democracy in action.

The only fear is that some students might be doing more than encouraging people to vote. We wonder if some kids might be urging citizens to vote in favor of the millage. If that’s the case, we have to wonder if they are doing so at the direction of their teachers or other school personnel.

That sort of thing has happened a lot over the years in school districts around the nation.

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Again, we have no idea if this is the case in the Wayne Township district. That’s because school officials have failed to respond to our repeated and detailed phone messages. We would love to hear more about the students’ voter registration campaign, but we’re not hearing anything at all.

District officials apparently figure that public schools are none of the public’s business. So that leaves us to consider the “ifs.”

If any school employees have encouraged students to campaign in favor of the ballot proposal, it could be a violation of the law.

According to the state statute regulating the degree to which schools can promote their own ballot proposals, “Using students to transport written materials to their residences or in any way involving students in a school organized promotion of a position” is illegal.

There’s also an ethical question that must be raised.

Teachers and other school employees have a vested interest in their districts’ financial health. Schools with budget deficits aren’t as likely to raise salaries and offer better benefit packages. Schools with very large deficits frequently lay off employees.

So there’s an obvious incentive for school staff to promote tax proposals, particularly to students who have a lot of influence over their parents and relatives.

Typical high school kids have a limited understanding of complicated school financial issues. But if they hear that extracurricular activities might be cut if the millage proposal fails, they might be motivated to lobby their parents, aunts and uncles to vote “yes” for the tax increase.

Some might say that’s okay, because they are simply trying to raise money for their school. Just like they might participate in a car wash to raise money for their boys or girls clubs, right?

Well, no.

The difference is that mandatory taxes will be imposed if the ballot proposal passes. That’s a serious matter that deserves thoughtful consideration from everyone involved.

If the students in the Wayne Township district are working to promote the millage, are they doing so from a fully informed perspective?

Did their teachers lead them in a class discussion of the school board’s spending record, so they could determine for themselves whether tax money in the district has been managed appropriately?

Is there active or organized opposition to the ballot proposal? If so, were the opponents invited to speak to the students and explain their point of view?

It’s good for high school kids to take an interest in local tax referendums.

Before they know it, many of them will be homeowners paying big annual property tax bills. Some will have limited incomes and will struggle to pay those bills and protect their homes from foreclosure. Contrary to what many politicians seem to believe, owning a home does not necessarily mean a citizen is rich.

Kids should be taught to appreciate the financial burden of local taxpayers. They should understand that public schools are units of government that sometimes fail to manage tax revenue wisely.

A school’s job is to educate students about those facts, not use them as gullible campaign volunteers.

A good government teacher will use a local millage election to walk students through all the issues at hand, and encourage them to decide for themselves whether hard-working taxpayers should have to cough up more money.

That would be a true teaching moment. Kids could start learning to become active, thoughtful citizens who consider all points of view before heading into the ballot box.

But if, on the other hand, school employees use kids to promote a tax increase, nothing of value is being learned and the school has shamefully strayed from its mission.

That alone could be enough to convince a few citizens to vote “no” on a school ballot proposal.