It’s the first day of school for the Monroe County Community School Corporation, and students and staff are excited to be back.
The City of Bloomington kicked off the first day of school with its annual Million Father March Event. Over 50 city officials and community members gathered at Fairview Elementary School to greet kids. Citizens lined up and cheered as kids walked off school buses or arrived with parents.
Pia Martin and her daughter, who is starting Pre-K at Fairview this year, participated in the event. Martin said she’s eager for her daughter to make new friends and be in the same school as her father, who is a physical education teacher.
“I'm just excited and thankful for the teachers, honestly, because I know there's been a lot of changes,” she said. “I'm just thankful for the teachers that are here.”
James Sanders, chair of the Commission on the Status of Black Males for the city, said this kind of event builds rapport with the community and supports students on their first day of school.
“We do it so they can see our faces and just give them some momentum to start the first day of school and have that carry out through the year,” he said.
He says events like these help young students build relationships and feel welcome.
“It's important for students, especially students of color, to see professional, not only black males, but people rooting them on,” he said, “making sure that they know that they have a foundation that they can lean on, should they ever need it.”
MCCSC Superintendent Markay Winston said she wants to focus on keeping students safe and on improving literacy and numeracy skills. She anticipates over 10,000 students will attend MCCSC schools this year.
“Academically, we want to make sure that our students are prepared, they're well prepared and ready for learning, and that we get an opportunity to maximize their learning skills.”
Officials are also adjusting after at least 61 health aides, food service and custodial staff were let go last year due to state funding cuts. Winston said she’s working with her HR team and school principals to fill some positions.
“Where do we need additional staff? [We’re] looking at different ways of staffing,” Winston said. “So, we're feeling very optimistic, very positive, and we're going to continue to staff as appropriately as possible.”
The Trump administration recently unfroze over $6 billion worth of education funds. About $100 million was allocated for Indiana. Winston says that money will help support extended day programs.
“It certainly allows us to offer free and low-cost after-school and before-school opportunities for our students,” she said. “So, that's been a big area of appreciation for us.”
