A public “microschool” launching this fall at Indiana University East will hurt public school corporations, the superintendent of Centerville-Abington Community Schools said.
Mike McCoy, superintendent of the Wayne County district, said losing even 50 students could mean a loss of about $350,000. Indiana sets school funding at the state level, distributing dollars on a per-pupil basis weighted by student need.
“That impacts us to where we have to cut teachers,” McCoy said. “That leaves a bad taste in the mouths of our teachers and our staff.”
McCoy also said IU East did not consult local school corporations before announcing the university’s interest in opening a public microschool on campus.
IU East High School will function as a public charter school. It was developed with the Indiana Microschool Coalition, an organization that partners with public school districts to launch a “modern one-room schoolhouse,” according to its website.
The school expects 65 students in its first cohort.
An IU East spokesperson declined an interview about local school corporations’ concerns.
“We understand that any new educational model can raise important questions, particularly about its potential impact on local school districts,” IU East School of Education Dean Jerry Wilde said in an email sent to McCoy in March. “We want to be clear: our intention is not to compete with or undermine existing schools, but rather to complement and support the broader educational landscape in our community.”
McCoy said IU East Executive Director of Enrollment Services Ethan Tauscher sat down with superintendents Monday to discuss the microschool’s potential impact on local schools and its delay in communicating with school corporations.
Tauscher did not respond to a request for an interview.
“I do believe that they owned up to that and said ‘yes, that probably wasn't handled the right way,’ but the conversation was very constructive,” McCoy said.
Launch Facilitator Jamie Buffington-Adams said IMC CEO George Philhower proposed the idea of opening a microschool to IU East leadership last year.
“It’s one of the few projects in recent history where all (IU East) administrators on campus have just been terribly excited about an idea,” she said.
Incoming freshman Lillian Cullers said she is excited to take advantage of more opportunities to get free college credit. She hopes for more one-on-one time with her teachers and classmates to receive “more tailored” learning.
“Doing that in high school years would definitely put me ahead, and it wouldn't be as stressful, I don't think,” she said.
Buffington-Adams said freshmen and sophomores will be “highly protected,” and their education will largely reflect a high school experience separate from IU East students. By their junior year, students will begin taking college credit courses alongside IU East students, gradually increasing contact with IU East faculty and students.
Students will be able to earn the Honors Plus Enrollment Seal and the Honors Plus Employability Seal through the school. Buffington-Adams said the school is looking at extracurricular art and music experiences and courses for students.
Buffington-Adams said groups like student government, student-led clubs and social experiences like prom will also be offered to students.
“We want to keep things age appropriate, and we want to keep them tailored to students’ interests,” she said.
