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Stephanie Wiechmann
Muncie Community Schools CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski says before Ball State University took responsibility for MCS in 2018, enrollment was falling steadily from a count of 7200 students in 2009. Now, as she told teachers at a Friday training day,

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Lee Ann Kwiatkowski
Since the partnership, we've maintained enrollment of about 5000 students. Now this is based on pre K through 12. You know today's our big current day. And that counts for students in grades K through 12. Right now, I am being told that this will be our first year that we should be seeing an increase in enrollment.

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Stephanie Wiechmann
Also, since 2018, the Indiana State Department of Education has tracked transfer students - those that live within the boundaries of a public school district but attend a private charter or other public schools with state funding that follows the child. During the last school year, more than 2500 such students in the Muncie district boundaries went elsewhere for education. That number has stayed largely consistent since the state began tracking.

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Stephanie Wiechmann
Kwiatkowski says in addition to keeping kids, MCS is also keeping teachers. After three years of increased compensation, Muncie Schools is retaining 83 % of teachers, up from 67 % from before the state partnership when no raises were given. In Muncie, Stephanie Wiechmann, IPR news.