NEWS

Union School Corp. to recruit students in China

Emma Kate Fittes
efittes@muncie.gannett.com

MODOC — The Union School Corp. board has voted to keep the one-building district open next year, and their next plan to recruit more students includes sending the superintendent to China.

Union's financial adviser found the district has enough money in cash reserves to stay open for another academic year, board president Christa Ellis said. They voted to stay open during the Sept. 21 meeting.

However, a long-term concern continues to be that Union is spending more money than it is given by the state. The state funding formula gives schools a certain amount of money per student, and Union has continued to see its enrollment drop.

Union had 63 fewer students on September 18 than in February, a loss of 20 percent of its student body.

But 23 more students have come to the district since the first day of school. Ellis said she felt as though they were on an "upswing" when she voted to keep the district open.

Superintendent Allan Hayne will be traveling to an educational forum this month, called Global Forum, in China to try to bring more students to Union.

The district already has a foreign exchange program, but Ellis said these students would pay tuition, as much as $30,000 per year.

“It would severely lower the deficit if we could take 10 students,” Ellis said. “I don’t see any negatives that wouldn’t be outweighed by the positive.”

The board approved paying $2,500 for the trip, which will last from Oct. 10-18, during a special board meeting in September.

Ellis said the board isn't looking past next year, yet.

"Right now we really can’t because we have to see what happens with enrollment," she said.

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Contact families & education reporter Emma Kate Fittes at 765-213-5845 and follow @EmmaKate_TSP