Rohith Rao
A year and a half into Ball State’s partnership with Muncie Community Schools (MCS), Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns reflects on the achievements of the partnership thus far.
Since the passage of House Bill 1315 in May 2018 by the Indiana General Assembly, Ball State assumed the responsibility of helping run MCS. In June that year, the university appointed seven individuals to serve on the MCS board who began their duties the following month.
Mearns said he was gratified by the “quality of the individuals who were willing to step up and serve on the school board.”
One of the board’s achievements, he said, was “stemm[ing] the hemorrhaging in enrollment.” According to the Indiana Department of Education’s website, the 2018-19 academic year marked the first time in five years that the schools saw a higher enrollment than the previous year.
The board balanced the schools’ budget and generated sufficient revenue in the first year of its existence to provide a one-time salary stipend to MCS teachers and staff, Mearns said. In the second year of the partnership, he said, the school corporation was able to give its teachers and staff a recurring salary increase for the first time in nearly a decade.
“I was confident that we could rally not just the university campus, but the entire community, and that's happened,” Mearns said.
Children work together in a classroom. Ball State is working with Muncie Community Schools to provide professional development liaisons in the schools. DN file
As a result, he said the partnership initially helped stabilized the school district and is now working on reversing the trajectory for MCS.
“If you spoke to the teachers, staff and the parents, I think what they've relatively quickly realized is that we're restoring their sense of hope and optimism about the educational opportunities that can be provided to their children,” Mearns said.
Going into 2020, the Ball State-MCS Academic Innovation Council will present the long-term Academic Innovation and Financial Viability Plan to the Indiana General Assembly in June. The council hosted an inaugural district-wide Innovation Summit in September 2019 to help contribute to the plan.
Some of the work listed in the plan has already begun, Mearns said, like having professional development liaisons in all of the schools. Once the plan is approved by state legislators, he said, Ball State and MCS will be fully focused on implementing the strategies in the plan.
Sometimes, tensions between city residents and the university community, he said, exists in college towns like Muncie. Mearns said progress the university was making progress to release this tension well before his arrival at Ball State in 2017, adding the partnership was one example of how the city and the university can work collectively.
(From left to right) Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, director of public education and CEO of Muncie Community Schools, Kelly Shrock, president of The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, and Jud Fisher, president & COO of Ball Brothers Foundation, pose for a photo. The foundation announced two endowments totaling $150,000 for the MCS director and CEO. Liz Gardner, Photo Provided
The Community Engagement Council was formed as part of the partnership to advocate for MCS through fundraising, advocacy and volunteerism.
According to Ball State’s website, community institutions committed $3.1 million for the local schools soon after the passage of H.B. 1315. It also states the university is directing $50,000 to fund classroom supplies for MCS educators to use in their classrooms.
The council, along with MCS, also organized two teacher-appreciation events in January and May 2019 to demonstrate the value the partnership placed on Muncie educators.
“It was a perfect example of the community and the teachers and the staff being supported by the university and by other businesses in the community,” Mearns said.
North View Elementary librarian Mike Lewis prepares to reshelve recently checked-in books before his next class comes into the library Jan. 18, 2019. When offered a paid position, Lewis turned it down. Demi Lawrence, DN
Facing a cash-flow crisis and the threat of a possible takeover by the state, MCS officials make plans to close underutilized buildings and to cut more than $10 million from the district budget. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill allowing a state board to monitor MCS’s debt reduction actions and to take control of the district if enough progress toward finding a financial footing is not made
MCS puts six of its buildings - including three former elementary schools and Northside Middle School - up for sale in September. By the end of the year, Indiana’s Distressed Unit Appeals Board (DUAB) members vote to designate MCS as a “distressed political subdivision” and move the district under total control by the state.
H.B. 1315 is introduced in January, giving Ball State full responsibility for MCS. The bill passed the House and the Senate, but one amendment to the bill fails causing it to be returned to the House. Legislators failed to address the bill during the March legislative session before the session’s final hours, killing the bill. Shortly after the end of the regular session, Holcomb called for a special session.
During a special session for the bill, it passes both the House and the Senate. Later, Ball State’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to assume responsibility of MCS. Following the passage of the bill, the partnership had already raised $3 million in community support from foundations businesses and private donors.
Ball State’s Board of Trustees announced in June the seven individuals selected to serve on the MCS board. Members of the MCS board began their duties in July.
MCS and Ball State’s Community Engagement Council hosted an inaugural “We Thank You Appreciation Luncheon” to recognize teachers. The event was attended by almost 600 educators and supporters. The MCS-Ball State Joint Academic Innovation Council was established to begin work on the long-term Academic Innovation and Financial Viability Plan. The following month, the MCS board appoints Charles Reynolds as associate superintendent.
The Community Engagement Council hosted “A Night 4 You” a teacher-appreciation event for Muncie educators. The Academic Innovation Council hosted “Dreams for Our Schools,” an open forum that kicked off a three-month effort in partnership with the United Way of Delaware County to collect educator and community input on the Academic Innovation Plan.
MCS board voted to hire Lee Ann Kwiatowski as the new director for public education and CEO. Muncie teachers received their first salary increase in eight years. Kwiatowski previously served as senior education adviser to Holcomb and chief of staff of the Indiana Department of Education.
The council hosted an inaugural district-wide day-and-a-half Innovation Summit, the outcomes of which would inform the Academic Innovation Plan. The Academic Innovation and Financial Viability Plan is due to the Indiana General Assembly June 2020.