Many questions remain as the Monroe County Community School Corporation considers redistricting.
But while some school board members are worried about barriers redistricting could create, Board President Erin Cooperman reminded them at last night’s meeting that something has to be done.
“My position is that some kind of redistricting, reorganization, or restructuring, is inevitable,” she said. “Even if we were willing to say socioeconomic balance is not part of our criteria. Even if cost effectiveness alone were our only criteria — which, I don’t think it should be — but even if that were it, I think this report said that our current utilization rate is 69% across the corporation and that the industry standard is 85%.
“So even if we were only talking about redistricting, reorganization, or restructuring, to adjust for declining enrollment and financial realities, I personally think it’s inevitable.”
During the 45-minute discussion, board members spoke on the findings of the redistricting study commission and the importance of identifying parameters that would allow for a better examination of potential redistricting or restructuring.
The redistricting study commission, which consisted of 92 teachers, staff, parents, students and others, aimed to balance socioeconomic status and cost effectiveness.
Their findings include how redistricting can balance socioeconomic status across schools if quantifiable parameters are established. The closure of one or multiple elementary schools could potentially improve socioeconomic status balance without causing building utilization rates to exceed industry standards. The commission also found that balance achieved across elementary schools could transfer to middle and high schools.
“It is very clear from the research that we do have inequities,” board member April Hennessey said. “That is clear from the data. I would say that if we look at the research, it also tells us that there is not great harm that comes from redistricting. There might be harm from a community perspective because people have vastly differing opinions.”
Board members said they want more information on the demographics of students who get free and reduced lunch; they also talked about what it would mean to preserve neighborhood schools and how redistricting would impact transportation and access to after-school activities.
“Just thinking about how, if we moved people further away from because neighborhood schools, (it) can be good for some people and not too good for other people,” said board member Erin Wyatt. “But then the reality is, if you're moved farther away from a school where you are living, what does that mean for transportation, after-school supports, tutoring.”
Superintendent Markay Winston announced a new Facilities Master Plan that aims to identify a 10-year vision for school building needs. Board decisions will be based on factors such as enrollment capacity, attendance boundary discussions, financial planning and redistricting.
Hennessey noted how important this plan will be to redistricting conversations and urged the board to think about how finances and declining enrollment numbers could help inform decisions around redistricting.
“We know that we're in a very different fiscal position now than we were even a couple of years ago,” Hennessey said, “and so we also need to think about things like capacity of our buildings, utilization. What does that look like? What does that mean if we're going to continue to have numbers that are shrinking.”
The board plans to meet in a working session to establish possible parameters to examine possible redistricting or restructuring. A date has not yet been set.
Financial update
MCCSC says it’s continuing to make progress toward achieving financial balance.
The corporation launched a two-year plan last February to achieve financial balance amid state budget cuts, declining enrollment, revenue decline, birthrate decline and increasing expenses.
Last year, Senate Enrolled Act 1 cut education funding for Indiana’s public schools, which are estimated to lose over $740 million in the next three years. That forced the corporation to make money-saving changes, including cutting 61 health aides, food service and custodial staff, and not raising teacher salaries. A Policy Analytics report from October found that MCCSC will see a funding reduction of over $30 million in the next five years.
MCCSC Chief Financial Officer Matt Irwin said the corporation had been projected to have a deficit of over $30 million by 2028. At last financial update in May, Irwin said he predicted MCCSC would have a positive cash balance of just over $35 million by 2028. But now, 18 months into the two-year plan, Irwin estimates the corporation will have a positive cash balance of just over $44 million by 2028.
“We're continuing to monitor our estimates with student ADM, and because student tuition support and student enrollment is our number one source of funding as a public school corporation,” he said, “and so that's a major driver in the projections of our school corporation and the corresponding demographic changes.”
Other than student enrollment counts, Irwin said the most recent estimate considers other factors such as actual revenue and expenses through July 31, 2026, current staffing levels and Policy Analytics’ latest projections of SEA 1’s impact on tax revenue.
“They're showing still that we are progressing towards a position of financial strength, and that's what we intend to do and intend to be,” he said. “And we need that because we are one of the biggest employers in this county. We educate thousands and thousands of children, and it's really important that we are in a solid place so that we can continue to be a place of certainty for them in a world where a lot of times we experience a lot of uncertainties.”
The corporation will provide its next update in November.
