Muncie City Council looking for candidates for appointed Muncie schools board

The Muncie City Council is looking for people who want to serve on the Muncie Community Schools board.  As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the school board is one of a few in the state that’s appointed rather than elected.

Most Indiana school board members are elected by voters within the school district.  But as part of a state-approved partnership between Ball State University and Muncie Community Schools, the district’s board has been appointed since 2018.  Two members of the seven-member board are appointed by the Ball State president off of recommendation lists by Muncie’s mayor and the Muncie City Council.

Muncie City Council president Jeff Robinson says the council is asking people interested in serving on the MCS board to sign up online at goservemuncie.com.  He says candidates that meet all the qualifications will get to speak with the council at a committee meeting or special meeting to be announced later.

The council says it’s looking for people who are passionate about the schools, have a record of civic engagement, and are leaders experienced in working with a team and overseeing fiscal decisions.

In 2018, 88 people applied to serve on the seven-member school board.  Twenty finalists were questioned at a public meeting.

Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns has said the school board has no term limits, so current board members can re-apply.

The list of three recommendations must be sent to Mearns by March 31.

Qualifications for MCS Board of Trustees, according to Muncie City Council:

• Be at least 21 years of age
• Be a United States Citizen
• Have at least a high school diploma or GED, with post-secondary educational degree preferred
• Be a resident within the MCS School District
• Cannot be a BSU Trustee or the BSU President, or a family member of a BSU Trustee the BSU President
• Cannot be or have a family member employed by Muncie Community Schools
• Must comply with the Conflict-of-Interest Policy Regarding Appointments to the Governing Body of Muncie Community Schools adopted by the BSU Board of Trustees on May 16, 2018

Additional attributes the city council is looking for:

• Passion for public education and Muncie Community Schools
• Record of civic engagement and community participation
• Experience in fiscal management and oversight
• Experience in team effectiveness
• Demonstrated leadership