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Muncie Schools Officials Optimistic About State Funding

By Tony Sandleben, IPR News | Published on in Education, Local News
File photo: Members of the Muncie Community Schools board at a meeting in March. (Photo: Tony Sandleben)

Officials at Muncie Community Schools are sensing some relief with news that the Indiana Assembly is gathering for a special session.  Governor Eric Holcomb has said that a priority of the session will be getting funding to the financially distressed school district.  Last night, the school board met publicly for the first time since that announcement.  As IPR’s Tony Sandleben reports, there is a reason for optimism in the district.

“The other thing it would do is give us funds to start working on the projects we need to work on, through the [general obligation] bond, so it’s a very very positive thing.”

MCS Emergency Manager Steve Edwards is excited about the special session the Indiana state government will be holding.

The failure of House Bill 1315 meant Muncie Schools would not be run by Ball State University.  But it also meant the district would not be getting funding from the State, something that is now an objective for the upcoming special session.

While the cost of this special session could exceed $30,000 a day, Muncie Democratic State Representative Sue Errington says it’s worth it because the district already has the pieces in place.

“And I think we have a really good emergency manager team that, when you see what they’ve done so far, it’s amazing.  And I think if we get this loan it can really make a big difference.”

The special session is scheduled for May, but no specific date has been announced.