The Monroe County Community School Corporation projects a deficit of $5.3 million in 2028, despite cost-cutting prompted by declining enrollment and reduced revenue from property taxes.
The projection was included in a presentation at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
MCCSC has eliminated at least 61 health, custodial and food service positions. It also saved money through natural attrition of staff.
“Our team has worked diligently and thoughtfully to minimize direct impacts on students and teachers,” MCCSC superintendent Markay Winston said. “My number one task as superintendent is to stabilize our budget while also ensuring our focus on excellence in all that we do. My executive team and I are responsible for keeping the needs of our students at the center of all decision-making, while ensuring that staffing levels are directly aligned to student enrollment.”
MCCSC outlined headwinds, including declines in enrollment, the county’s population, and state funding through property tax changes.
“I am confident in our ability to navigate these impacts, as long as we stay the course,” Winston said. “We are making steady progress, but our work is not complete. The ever-changing goal posts make it difficult, but not impossible. We will need to remain nimble and flexible as we continue to adjust to known and unknown impacts that threaten our funding.”
MCCSC’s student-to-staff ratio from 2019 to 2025 was 12.9 to 1. The student-to-staff ratio for the 2025-26 school year is 13.4 to 1.
About 75 percent of school corporations in Indiana are experiencing declining enrollment. MCCSC has had a 26 percent decline in kindergarten enrollment since 2019.
MCCSC also estimated a 1.5 percent decrease in overall enrollment between October 2024 and October 2025. Enrollment affects how much money the school corporation receives from the state.
“Since February, there have been changes in attendance,” Winston said. “We recognize that members of our community are uncertain about their safety, and it has impacted our ability to have our students feel comfortable and safe in our schools. We do anticipate that that's going to impact our overall enrollment numbers.”
MCCSC addressed how it can afford construction projects in a time of reduced funding. Bloomington High School South just debuted a new $1.6 million soccer field. Irwin said the project was funded through bonds in the debt service fund, which have designated purposes.
“Those bond dollars cannot be used to pay for staffing, pay and benefits,” he said. “We can't just move the funds from that over to the Education Fund and spend that how we want to spend it. That's not how that works.”
Irwin said the corporation is waiting to receive one-time funds from the government to help fund projects like EV bus rebates, solar rebates and taxable general obligation funds.
About 30 people at the meeting wore red to show solidarity for teachers, whose union starts contract negotiations next month that will determine salaries.
“I want our next generation of teachers, who are also parents, to have it easier,” said Jenny Noble-Kuchera, president of the teachers union, the Monroe County Education Association. “I want them to get closer to not having second jobs and not living paycheck to paycheck, to show our intent in bargaining in good faith and to demonstrate the critical need for a fair bargaining agreement.”
Winston praised teachers at the meeting.
“We appreciate the commitment, we appreciate the flexibility and the willingness to do whatever is necessary,” she said. “It's almost like ‘by all means necessary,’ we're going to get our babies educated, and we do want a different reality for our educators, and we are hopeful and optimistic that that might come in the future.”
