NEWS

House votes in support of MCS takeover

Seth Slabaugh
seths@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE, Ind. — The Indiana House on Wednesday night voted 64-30 in defense of an amended bill that would place deficit-ridden Muncie Community Schools under state control.

Representatives on the floor of the Indiana House.

The Republican majority ignored arguments from Democratic representatives Sue Errington, Muncie, who said "the citizens of Muncie feel blind-sided" by the last-minute bill; Ed Delaney, Indianapolis, who called it a "morale blow" to the city of Muncie; and Melanie Wright, who complained the bill would allow the state to take over MCS finances and academics without warning and without any standards to justify such a takeover.

Wright said there was no justification at all for an academic takeover of MCS, currently graded as a "C" school district by the state. The district has proven that it can improve its academic performance in the past eight years or so and should be allowed to "pull themselves out of" the financial crisis as well, she added.

The bill originally pertained only to a state takeover of Gary Community School Corp.

Democratic Rep. Cherrish Pryor, Indianapolis, offered an amendment to remove MCS from the bill on Wednesday night but her effort was defeated by a party-line vote of 64-30 with no rebuttal arguments offered by Republican representatives.

Pryor said it was unfair and unprecedented for the state to single Muncie out without first establishing takeover standards to trigger a forced takeover. Without standards, the state can take over any school district without warning, she said. Gary schools asked for a takeover, unlike Muncie. Pryor also asserted the state of Indiana was mostly at fault for public schools' financial problems.

The mayor of Muncie, the Muncie school board, the city council, the Muncie Teachers Association, and a parent group are among the opponents of the proposed state takeover of the school system that is dealing with declining enrollment.

Sue Errington defends Muncie Community Schools in the House on Wednesday night.

The bill will come up again in the House for final approval on third reading on Thursday. Wednesday was second-reading deadline day for bill amendments in the House and Thursday is the third-reading deadline.

If the Senate doesn't agree with the House's amended version of the legislation, titled Senate Bill 567, it will be forwarded to a House-Senate conference committee of four lawmakers (two Republicans and two Democrats) for an attempt in private to reconcile the differences.

It also would have to be signed by the governor before becoming law.

In a last-minute move on Monday, Rep. Tim Brown, R-Indianapolis, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, added the amendment to SB 567 to place MCS finances and academics under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. That was the last day for committee reports. Brown cited State Board of Accounts audits that he said showed budget deficits of $19.9 million at Gary Community Schools and $18.6 million at MCS.

On the floor of the House on Wednesday night, Brown again cited the MCS budget deficit as well as deferred maintenance and cash flow problems that threaten the school district's ability to meet payroll this summer. "If that's not distress I don't know what is," he said.

After Democratic lawmakers made their case to keep MCS out of the bill, Republicans offered no rebuttal before voting down the Pryor amendment.

Errington said during floor discussion on Wednesday night that the Muncie provision was added to the bill so late that the Muncie school board did not even have time under the Open Door Law to conduct a meeting to talk about it before the Ways and Means Committee vote.

She also told fellow lawmakers that since the early 1970s, MCS has closed more than two dozen schools, including Northside and Southside high schools. Between 2005 and 2014, MCS reduced the number of teachers by 150 and the number of administrators by 15, in addition to cutting 279 other jobs. The school also has outscourced services including food and custodial and changed bus companies.

MCS Superintendent Steven Baule and school board President Debbie Feick testified against the state takeover at a hearing before the Ways and Means Committee on Monday, as did Errington, Wright, and Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson. Chairman Brown allowed them to testify after the committee already had voted 17-5 to add Muncie to the Gary bill.

Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Tuesday told The Star Press: “I agree with Rep. Brown putting Muncie in the bill at this time, so we can discuss the possible need for action to get Muncie schools back on track financially in conference committee.”

Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834.