In 2014, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. hoped to become one of the first school districts in the country to offer free prekindergarten programming to all families. To fund the initiative, the district asked taxpayers to approve a referendum that would add 5 cents per $100 assessed valuation to their property tax bill.

I spent the two months leading up to the election reporting on the referendum. A series of 9 articles published in The Republic examined the financial impact of the tax increase, the benefits of prekindergarten education and how the district planned to execute the new program. 

Taxpayers did not approve the tax increase, but my reporting was recognized by Indiana's Associated Press Media Editors.

First Place, Feature Series

<p>In 2014, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. hoped to become one of the first school districts in the country to offer free prekindergarten programming to all families. To fund the initiative, the district asked taxpayers to approve a referendum that would add 5 cents per $100 assessed valuation to their property tax bill.</p><p>I spent the two months leading up to the election reporting on the referendum. A series of 9 articles published in The Republic examined the financial impact of the tax increase, the benefits of prekindergarten education and how the district planned to execute the new program.</p><p>Taxpayers did not approve the tax increase, but my reporting was recognized by Indiana's Associated Press Media Editors.</p><p>Check out a few clippings from the 9-piece series below:&nbsp;</p><div class="raw-html-embed">
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             <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republic-four-is-the-new-5/114720332/">Four is the new 5</a> 
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         Article from Apr 13, 2014 The Republic (Columbus, Indiana)  
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             <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republic-making-the-case/114719768/">Making the Case</a> 
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         Article from Oct 19, 2014 The Republic (Columbus, Indiana)  
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             <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republic-facts/114719741/">Facts</a> 
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         Article from Oct 19, 2014 The Republic (Columbus, Indiana)  
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             <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republic-putting-the-pieces-together/114718841/">Putting the Pieces Together</a> 
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         Article from Oct 26, 2014 The Republic (Columbus, Indiana)  
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4 Is The New 5: Making The Case For Universal Pre-K

<p>• Developed relationships and built trust with school and health leaders as a beat reporter.</p><p>• Delivered daily news content while also working on in-depth investigative pieces.</p><p>• Studied complex issues in health and education and distilled the information into interesting and informative articles.</p>

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4 Is The New 5: Making The Case For Universal Pre-K