Without voters’ help, Indiana’s Monroe County Community School Corporation could be wind up short when federal stimulus money runs out by 2012.
The MCCSC is proposing a school funding referendum for the Nov. 2 ballot to help lighten the blows it has taken to a diminishing school budget.
Members of the MCCSC said this is the best option the county has to save its public schools.
“In order for us to deliver the education we want, we need this referendum,” MCCSC board president Jeannine Butler said.
While the referendum has yet to be drafted, when it is, it will put control of the Monroe County schools back in local hands and prevent state-imposed budget cuts in the future. In 2009, school funding shifted from stable property taxes to income and sales taxes, which keep revenue fluctuating and strip the schools of their local control.
“The shift from local property taxes to sales tax to support school general funds has contributed substantially to the revenue problems,” MCCSC comptroller Tim Thrasher said. “A substantial reduction in funding has been the result … nearly $3 million for MCCSC in 2010.”
This move resulted in layoff notices for 79 certified teachers and $5.8
million in budget cuts authorized in April. By 2012, when it can no
longer depend on the federal stimulus money, the state of Indiana could
be $2 billion short of funding for K-12, MCCSC superindentent J.T.
Coopman said.
“This crisis is just beginning, so we are expecting additional revenue cuts in 2011, and when the federal stimulus dollars used to support state funding for public schools disappears in 2012, this funding cliff could be catastrophic without a successful referendum,” Coopman said.
One of the roadblocks for the referendum is that community members will have to vote to increase taxes to help fund local schools. In 1999, the MCCSC put a referendum on the ballot that failed because of poor execution and an unclear plan for the money, said Eric Knox, a Support Our Schools member.
Support Our Schools, a Monroe County citizen group that aims to support local schools, was one of the forces behind getting the school funding referendum on the ballot. Knox said the group came together to motivate the school board and tell them to take action.
“We’ve been encouraging them for months, telling them they have to get (the referendum) wrapped up in June,” Knox said. “We’ve been scouting things out, saying ‘You need to do this’ — basically poking and prodding them.”
The MCCSC listened and is now in the process of drafting and pitching the referendum to the public. Community members will have a chance to say what they think about the referendum and decide what programs should benefit from it during four public discussions.
Two meetings have already taken place at Bloomington North and South high schools. Two more sessions are scheduled for June 9 at Bloomington High School South and June 10 at Bloomington High School North, both from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
While referendums are only valid for seven years, schools across Indiana are turning to them to help make it through these difficult times.
In May, voters in Noblesville, Speedway, Washington Township, Carmel Clay and Pike Township approved referendums that helped support building projects for schools and prevent teacher layoffs while raising taxes. On the other hand, Western Boone County Community School Corporation and Eastern Hancock Schools failed to see their referendums make it past voters.
Knox believes Monroe County can join the list of victors.
“We can pass this 2-1, but it needs to be done in a timely and sensitive way,” Knox said. “Make the referendum simple and no-nonsense. Tell them we have great schools, and now we need to restore these schools.”
One topic that might be discussed at the meetings is the cost of the referendum campaign. The MCCSC will need about $80,000 just to pay the contracts of four separate firms to help successfully construct the referendum. In addition, it hopes to raise an additional $20,000 for the campaign, bringing the total to $100,000.
MCCSC director of elementary education Cameron Rains said this money must be spent in order to ensure a successful future for today’s youth.
“Thirty years ago it was OK if students dropped out of high school,” Rains said. “There were good jobs available for those students, and they could make a good life for themselves. The world has changed, and that is no longer the case. Now, there are no good jobs for someone with only a high school degree.”
So what would happen to Monroe County schools if this referendum doesn’t pass? The answer is simple, but not sweet. More cuts would result in the loss of school programs, fewer teachers, larger class sizes and decreased quality of education.
Knox said that with the Indiana governor and superintendent of schools both anti-public education, now is the time for local communities to take action before the situation worsens.
“More cuts are going to come next year, but they’re going to wait until after the elections to do it,” Knox said. “The big issue is trying to get people connected with the school corporation and to get involved.”
Come November, the voters will have to decide whether they want to pay more taxes to help save public education.
“I think that they need to know that we fully expect that our community will step up,” Butler said. “We think our community will support education.”