EDUCATION

Muncie school board experiences lack of control

Seth Slabaugh
The Star Press
Emergency Manager Steve Edwards talks to the public and the board about business involving the district during the monthly meeting of the Muncie Community School Board on Jan. 9 at the Muncie Area Career Center.

MUNCIE, Ind. — Debbie Feick, president of the Muncie Community School Board, called a board meeting to order on Tuesday night.

She then called for a moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

After that, the board continued to remain silent for most of the meeting as state-appointed emergency manager Steve Edwards took over the agenda.

He explained that from now on, he will adopt, authorize and approve or deny everything on the board's agenda. Thus, the board will no longer need to make any motions or vote on anything on the agenda. That will continue to be the case until further notice from the state, perhaps for two years or more, because of the school district's inability to achieve financial stability on its own.

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Normally, the board's first order of business in the new year is reorganization, or election of officers. Instead, Edwards took care of that business, reappointing Debbie Feick as president, Andy Warrner as vice president, and Kat Carey as secretary.

School Board member Robert Warrner listens to a report given by the chief financial officer during the monthly meeting of the Muncie Community School Board on Jan. 9 at the Muncie Area Career Center.

The state's Distressed Unit Appeal Board, carrying out a special law enacted by the Legislature last year, placed a private consulting firm, where Edwards is employed, in full control of the district effective Jan. 1.

The only reason the school board will continue to meet at all is for the purpose of "informing the board and the public, in a public setting, of decisions that are being made in the interest of Muncie Community Schools," Edwards explained.

Dr. Steven Baule, Superintendent of Muncie Community Schools, gives his monthly report to the board during the monthly meeting of the school board on Jan. 9 at the Muncie Area Career Center.

While the consulting firm will be running the school district, it wants to work "as much as possible in a collaborative fashion" with the school board, Superintendent Steve Baule, parents and the community, Edwards said.

He explained to people attending the meeting that henceforth Muncie school board meetings will be "different than any school board meetings you've ever seen" —  unless, that is, you've seen a school board meeting in Gary, another financially failing district taken over by the state.

The private consulting firm in charge at Muncie will make decisions and provide leadership "but does not intend to do so in a vacuum," Edwards said. "We believe in shared leadership and the value of input from all stakeholders."

Rob Keisling, a new board member who took the oath of office on Tuesday night, applauded the consultants' "collaborative approach."

Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834 or seths@muncie.gannett.com.