Indiana lawmakers talk mental health at Bloomington Chamber event

District 44 state senator Eric Koch. (Jan. 12, 2024)

District 40 state senator Shelli Yoder. (Jan. 12, 2024)

District 46 state representative Bob Heaton. (Jan. 12, 2024)

District 60 state representative Peggy Mayfield. (Jan. 12, 2024)

More than 100 people were assembled at The Mill at midday on Friday for the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Legislative Preview.

This year’s session of the Indiana legislature started on Jan. 8 and will wrap up by mid-March.

Friday’s crowd got to hear four Indiana state legislators answer a question posed by Bloomington’s new mayor Kerry Thomson—about mental health.

Thomson’s question, which she had written out on one of the cards distributed for that purpose, was read aloud by the Bloomington Chamber’s CEO, Eric Spoonmore:

The state is experiencing a mental health and substance use crisis. This cannot be addressed simply at the local level. What can be done about it at the state level, to ensure health care before criminal justice?

Taking a crack at the question in turn were the four state legislators who attended the event: Eric Koch (District 44 state senator), Shelli Yoder (District 40 state senator), Bob Heaton (District 46 state representative), and Peggy Mayfield (District 60 state representative).

Yoder is a Democrat. The other three are Republicans. Continue reading “Indiana lawmakers talk mental health at Bloomington Chamber event” →

MCCSC board wants public to mull elementary school merger, meant to balance socio-economic status

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1FGkzX6Tfk0hSpxK-djsz6oJBQ2kxAfo&usp=sharing

Data used to build the chart is available here: https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/MCCSC-SES-data-by-elementary-school.tsv

Responding to a request from the Monroe County Community School Corporation board, this week district superintendent Jeff Hauswald presented a possible plan to merge the attendance areas for two pairs of elementary schools.

The idea would be to divide the grades for the bigger attendance areas between the two existing buildings for each pair of schools.

The purpose of merging the schools would be to improve the balance of socio-economic status (SES) among students in different elementary school buildings.

The key metric for SES of students is defined by the Indiana Department of Education—as the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, based on income eligibility guidelines.

One merger would involve consolidating the attendance areas for Childs Elementary and Templeton Elementary. At the end of a three-year transition period, Childs would serve the combined attendance areas for pre-kindergarten through grade 2. Templeton would serve grade 3 through grade 6.

A second merger, which could be implemented by itself or combined with the first one, would consolidate the attendance areas for University Elementary and Fairview Elementary. At the end of a three-year transition period, University would serve the combined attendance areas for pre-kindergarten through grade 3. Fairview would serve grade 4 to grade 6. Continue reading “MCCSC board wants public to mull elementary school merger, meant to balance socio-economic status” →

Bloomington school schedule decision: MCCSC board takes control for itself, away from superintendent

MCCSC board member Ross Grimes.

MCCSC board member Erin Wyatt.

MCCSC board member Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer.

Demonstrators outside the MCCSC board’s meeting location.

MCCSC superintendent Jeff Hauswald.

MCCSC board member Brandon Shurr.

MCCSC board member Erin Cooperman.

MCCSC board member April Hennessey participated by Zoom.

MCCSC board member Ashley Pirani.

The daily schedules for Bloomington’s four high schools will not change before the 2025-26 school year, and even if they do, it’s not certain the result will be a unified schedule for all schools.

What’s more, any decision on a schedule change will rest with the seven-member board of the Monroe County Community School Corporation, not with MCCSC superintendent Jeff Hauswald.

That’s all the result of action by the MCCSC board at its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday night. The board was split 4–3 on the question.

The motion to add the question to the agenda, as well as the motion to make the schedule change a board voting matter, was put forward by board vice president April Hennessey. She was participating in the meeting remotely on the Zoom video conferencing platform.

Voting for the board’s role as scheduling decision maker were: Hennessey, Ashley Pirani, Erin Wyatt, and Erin Cooperman. Voting to leave the decision making authority with the superintendent and his designees were Ross Grimes, Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, and board president Brandon Shurr.

Hauswald had been planning to implement a unified schedule starting with the 2024-25 school year.

Right after Tuesday’s roll call vote concluded, the board’s meeting room at the MCCSC Co-Lab on East Miller Drive erupted in applause from the roughly 120 people who had crammed into the space to speak during public commentary. Continue reading “Bloomington school schedule decision: MCCSC board takes control for itself, away from superintendent” →

Calls for superintendent’s ouster at rally against Bloomington high school schedule changes

Ivan Lynch. MCCSC schedule change protest (Oct. 23, 2023)

MCCSC schedule change protest (Oct. 23, 2023)

Kelton O’Connell. MCCSC schedule change protest (Oct. 23, 2023)

Candace Sampson. MCCSC schedule change protest (Oct. 23, 2023)

MCCSC schedule change protest (Oct. 23, 2023)

In the fourth week of September, high school journalists at Bloomington High School South broke the story that Monroe County Community School Corporation superintendent Jeff Hauswald was mulling a plan to unify the schedules of all high schools in the district.

The headline in The Optimist, the student newspaper at BHSS, read “MCCSC looking at changing South’s trimester schedule.”

South operates on a trimester schedule. North operates on a semester schedule. The length of class times also differs between the schools. Also in the mix are the district’s two other high schools—Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship and Bloomington Graduation School.

A little less than a month after The Optimist broke the story, last Friday (Oct. 20) MCCSC administration released a memo with the main features of the unified schedule: 60-minutes classes; and a year that’s divided into two semesters, not three trimesters.

In the meantime, the idea of unifying the schedules has met with significant opposition. As of late Monday, a petition that was set up on Change.org has about 1,250 signatures.

On Monday afternoon, about 250 people—students, parents, and faculty—gathered on the southeast corner of the Monroe County courthouse square in downtown Bloomington to protest the administration’s move.

The Friday memo had caught many by surprise, because they had the impression that the MCCSC administration was still gathering information, in order to make a decision.

Some of the signs at Monday’s rally called for Hauswald’s ouster. Continue reading “Calls for superintendent’s ouster at rally against Bloomington high school schedule changes” →

Nov. 7 election: School district voters will decide on 8.5-cent tax increase

MCCSC board vice president April Hennessey (June 27, 2023)

Paul Farmer, president of Monroe County Education Association (June 25, 2023)

MCCSC MCCSC superintendent Jeff Hauswald (June 27, 2023)

MCCSC board member Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer (June 25, 2023)

MCCSC board president Brandon Shurr (June 27, 2023)

On Nov. 7, voters who live in the Monroe County Community School Corporation will decide whether to increase their property tax rate by 8.5 cents.

The resolution to put the question on the ballot was approved by the MCCSC board on Tuesday night at its regular monthly meeting.

The vote was unanimous among the seven board members, who were all present at the meeting.

According to the wording of the ballot question, the money to be raised by the additional tax has to be used for the purpose of “expanding and funding free and affordable early childhood education (including preschool) and eliminating student and family fees for K-12 education, funding career education program costs and technology and funding supply and instructional materials for all students.”

According to district superintendent Jeff Hauswald, the effect of the proposed tax increase, combined with some reductions in other tax rates, would mean about $50 more dollars a year for someone who owns a $250,000 home.

Tuesday’s meeting was lightly attended, but one person did take a turn at the public mic, in support of the referendum.

Paul Farmer, president of Monroe County Education Association, spoke on his own behalf, because the teachers union has not yet voted on the question. But Farmer said he thinks the MCEA will vote in support of the increased tax. Continue reading “Nov. 7 election: School district voters will decide on 8.5-cent tax increase” →

School district fields questions about possible Nov. 7 referendum on 8.5-cent tax increase

Randy Cassady, a member of Bloomington’s redevelopment commission, asked about the impact of TIF districts on the tax.

Former school board member Sue Wanzer asked where MCCSC would run its pre-K programs.

Maqubè Reese asked how MCCSC is preparing for the influx of a more diverse population.

David Sabbagh asked if the referendum could not be put off until 2024.

Monroe County Community School Corporation superintendent Jeff Hauswald.

On Wednesday night, MCCSC superintendent Jeff Hauswald presented the district’s case for a referendum on Nov. 7 that would add 8.5 cents to the district’s property tax rate.

Hauswald then fielded questions from meeting attendees.

Wednesday’s meeting came the day after the school board voted unanimously to pass a resolution authorizing Hauswald to consult with Monroe County auditor Cathy Smith about the calculations that would go into increasing MCCSC’s property tax rate by 8.5 cents.

A vote to put the question to the public as a referendum could come at the school board’s June meeting.

The revenue generated by the additional tax would go towards early childhood education for 3-to-5-year-old children, as well as other initiatives to make education more accessible.

The other initiatives include free instructional technology, supplies, and consumables for all students. Also made free would be Advanced Placement (AP) exams and tests that are needed for workplace certificates. The additional revenue would also cover free career education, including tuition, testing, supplies, and associated fees.

Based on the remarks and questions from the public who spoke, the dozen and half people who attended Wednesday night’s presentation were mostly friendly to the idea of the increased tax.

But former city councilmember David Sabbagh questioned the timing of the public vote. Sabbagh said he is a strong advocate of early childhood education. He told Hauswald, “I would have trouble disagreeing with anything you said.”

Sabbagh continued, “Unfortunately, we have this thing called city government that also taxes us.” He noted the Bloomington is considering an increase to trash collection fees. Sabbagh also noted that his tax bill had already increased due to the successful 18.5-cent referendum that MCCSC had put on the ballot in 2022—which passed with 68.6 percent support.

Sabbagh asked, “I wonder if you couldn’t put it off for a year?” Continue reading “School district fields questions about possible Nov. 7 referendum on 8.5-cent tax increase” →

8.5-cent property tax increase for early childhood ed mulled by MCCSC board, public outreach on May 24

Monroe County Community School Corporation superintendent Jeff Hauswald (May 23, 2023)

Monroe County Community School Corporation board president Brandon Shurr (May 23, 2023)

No referendum to increase property taxes has yet been placed on the Nov. 7 ballot by the Monroe County Community School corporation board.

But at its Tuesday night meeting, the board voted unanimously to pass a resolution authorizing district superintendent Jeff Hauswald to consult with Monroe County auditor Cathy Smith about the calculations that would go into increasing MCCSC’s property tax rate by 8.5 cents.

A press release issued immediately following the board’s meeting says, “In the November 7th election, MCCSC expects to ask voters to approve the rate not to exceed $0.085 per $100 of assessed property value.”

The revenue generated by the additional tax would go towards early childhood education for 3-to-5-year-old children, as well as other initiatives to make education more accessible.

The other initiatives include free instructional technology, supplies, and consumables for all students. Also made free would be Advanced Placement (AP) exams and tests that are needed for workplace certificates. The additional revenue would also mean free career education, including tuition, testing, supplies, and associated fees.

To lay out details of the potential referendum and to get feedback from the public, MCCSC is hosting a meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (May 24) at the MCCSC Co-Lab at 553 E. Miller Drive, which is the regular board meeting location. Continue reading “8.5-cent property tax increase for early childhood ed mulled by MCCSC board, public outreach on May 24” →