Teachers union backs state takeover of MCS

(Editor's note: An earlier version of this article misidentified Sandra Whitaker as Jackie Samuels. We regret the error).

MUNCIE — The leader of the teachers union at Muncie Community Schools is urging the state to assume control of the district, a move opposed by the chamber of commerce.

The state's Distressed Unit Appeal Board (DUAB) has scheduled a meeting next week to decide whether a state-appointed emergency manager should be given full control over the district's finances and academics.

Six months ago, DUAB sent an emergency manager — Administrator Assistance, a consulting firm of retired Hoosier school superintendents and business officers — to Muncie to help stabilize the financially impaired school district.

DUAB will determine at a meeting on Dec. 13 in Indianapolis whether the emergency manager should be terminated or given authority to supersede the school board and superintendent.

" … the overwhelming position of teachers is TAKE OVER NOW!" Pat Kennedy, president of Muncie Teachers Association (MTA), told DUAB members in a recent email. "After seeing the positive outcomes from the last few months of (state) intervention, the idea of even more support is not frightening. 

"Frightening is the thought of being placed back into the same scenario of last spring. Frightening for me as an Association leader is the number of quality, experienced teachers who have their resumes ready to send out if Muncie is not declared a distressed unit."

The scenario last spring — pre-emergency manager — included an exodus of teachers amid a bitter, long-running impasse between the district and the union over a collective-bargaining agreement. The dispute was eventually settled by the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board. The district lost its battle for retroactive pay cuts for teachers.

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Administrator Assistance, which recently negotiated a new labor agreement between the district and teachers, was "collaborative and respectful" during negotiations and has welcomed input from teachers, Kennedy reported to DUAB.

She concluded that "MCS is not close to being a healthy school system" and offered to share specifics with DUAB members if they want more details.

Not all teachers share Kennedy's stance on state takeover.

For example, Drew Shermeta, a teacher in the social studies department at Central High School, wrote recently to DUAB that "the continued presence of a state-appointed agency would certainly have a negative impact on morale, enrollment, academic programs and confidence in our school system."

State intervention has "helped draw attention to the errors that have been made and to the gravity of our situation," Shermeta went on, but it's no longer "in the best interest of the community" for the intervention to continue.

He also urged DUAB to consider the impacts property tax caps have "clearly had" on schools like MCS. 

Meanwhile, the boards of directors of the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware Advancement Corp. (DAC) have asked DUAB to return "autonomy" to the school district.

"It is a well-known fact that good schools are essential to economic development …" the organizations wrote to DUAB recently. "We do believe in local control with accountability… It is our shared belief that … MCS has seen significant academic program improvements over the past several years. They have built several strong partnerships with other community partners such as Ball Brothers Foundation, Meridian Health Services, Project Leadership, Ball State University, Ivy Tech Community College, Glad Tidings Church, Muncie YMCA, City of Muncie, the (chamber) and many others."

Chamber and DAC leaders include Chris Caldwell of MututalBank; Andy Bowne, a senior vice president at Ivy Tech; Chris Fancher of Muncie Power Products; Steve Smith of Mid-West Metals; Scott Smalstig of Meridian Health Services; Jeff Parsons of First Merchants; Jeff Bird of IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital; Tom Bracken of the George and Frances Ball Foundation; Stephen Brand of Magna PowerTrain; Jud Fisher of Ball Brothers Foundation; and Kelly Shrock of the Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County.

If the school district has not "regained your confidence in its ability to self govern,"  the community leaders asked DUAB/emergency managers to continue to oversee/monitor the district; to describe outcomes the district must achieve, and to gradually increase autonomy if justified. If local control is not justified after an oversight/monitoring period, "MCS will accept the necessity of submitting to a state takeover," DAC's and the chamber's boards wrote.

Academic improvements in recent years at MCS have included increases in the graduation rate, the number of students earning college credit and industry certifications, the number of Advanced Placement courses, extra-curricular participation and college scholarship funding, while decreases have been observed in failure rates, disciplinary incidents and arrests.

The district has been implementing a deficit-reduction plan that has included the closing of three elementary schools and the elimination of teaching and staffing positions. A balanced budget is expected in 2018 (expenses will not exceed revenue) as well as positive cash flow. However, because of past mismanagement, property-tax caps and other factors, MCS is expected to finish 2017 with a budget deficit of $12 million.

Other supporters of the school board and the superintendent include former Superintendent Marlin Creasy and former school board member Michael Long, who noted in a letter to DUAB that the emergency manager has reinforced, and publicly expressed approval of, the district's deficit-reduction efforts.

Barbara Lamb, a resident of northwest Muncie and the mother of two MCS graduates, didn't like what she saw when DUAB hosted a public hearing at Northside Middle School's auditorium last month.

One of the DUAB members "looked so bored sitting up there on stage," Lamb told The Star Press. "I feel like he had his mind made up already. If body language has anything to do with it,  a state takeover is a done deal."

Lamb wrote to DUAB that a takeover "just might be the nail in the coffin that Muncie might never recover from." She still has a grandchild attending MCS and is worried about residential property values plummeting if the state assumes control.

"No business is going to want to relocate to a city that the state has taken over the school system," she wrote.

Lamb also doesn't see how a state takeover would help MCS out of its financial hole. "You can't get blood out of a turnip," she said. Emergency managers have said the same thing: the district can't cut its way out of the financial crisis and a state-authorized loan  might be the only solution.

Baule enlisted a letter of support from a former colleague, John Sonnenberg, a retired superintendent from Illinois, who wrote to DUAB that "most of the negative reaction to the board and current administrators is from those who are unhappy the board is actually addressing its fiscal issues."

Sonnenberg told The Star Press a state takeover of MCS is "too early; I think they need to kind of watch them and see what happens." 

The Muncie district is unlike others that Sonnenberg is familiar with around the country that have been taken over by the state — such as the North Chicago School District, where the director of transportation, the school board president and other defendants received more than $9.6 million in kickbacks from bus companies.

"There are good reasons to remove control from local elected officials," Sonnenberg told DUAB. "None of those reasons exist in Muncie Community Schools."

Rob Frey, the principal of Saint Lawrence Catholic School in Muncie, wrote to DUAB that a state takeover of MCS would send "shock waves" across Indiana.

"If the DUAB decides to rip local control away from MCS, it will set a precedent that I believe could be dangerous," Frey wrote. "Which lesson will be taught? A lesson in how a government entity demonstrated its power and made an example out of Muncie?"

Shari Green, a teacher at Grissom Elementary School, echoed the teachers union president in asking DUAB to keep an emergency manager in Muncie to "ensure our schools continue to heal."

"Some have said that a state takeover will devastate Muncie," Green wrote. "However, in reality, MCS failing is what will truly devastate Muncie."

She attributed the "silence of teachers" to "fear of repercussions and a toxic work environment. Therefore, teachers' silence should not be a surprise." Green also called Administrator Assistance's "collaborative approach to negotiating our contract" a "drastic contrast from the uncompromising tactics of Dr. Baule and the majority of the school board … Keep in mind, a phenomenal number of teachers and students chose to simply speak with their feet. Most of the teachers that did stay have resumes ready."

Sandra Whitaker, an assistant principal at Northside Middle School who quit this year after receiving notice that her contract might not be renewed, recently wrote to DUAB that MCS leadership is "facing the loss of public confidence" as evidenced by 507 fewer students, the loss of 150 teachers and the resignations of 11 administrators. "These numbers, within one academic year, are unprecedented," she wrote.

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She also questioned the district's academic progress, noting that five of its schools earned a grade of "D" from the state, based on performance in English and mathematics along with other areas.

DUAB Director Courtney Schaafsma said it's not too late for the public to comment on what the state should do. Comments may be emailed to duab@duab.in.gov. All such comments are public record.

The DUAB meeting at which control of the Muncie district will be decided is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the House Ways and Means Committee room at the Statehouse on Dec. 13. DUAB plans to live-stream the meeting.

Seth Slabaugh is an education reporter at The Star Press who can be reached at (765) 213-5834 or seths@muncie.gannett.com.