Muncie Community Schools

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Muncie Community Schools (MCS) is a school district headquartered in Muncie, Indiana.

Contents

The district is coextensive with Center Township, Delaware County, and it includes the vast majority of the municipality of Muncie. [1]

History

In 2008 the board of trustees of the school district became majority African-American. [2]

In a period before 2018, the number of students in the district decreased. Circa 2018 the Indiana Department of Education gave the school district a "C" ranking. Seth Slabaugh of The Star Press wrote that year that the district was "high-poverty" and "has been in failing financial health for years". [3]

In 2018 House Bill 1315, a proposed law put in the Indiana Legislature stated that Ball State University would take control of the Muncie district's school board. The legislative session ended, and the bill was not heard by the Indiana House of Representatives nor by the Indiana Senate. [3] Geoffrey S. Mearns, the president of Ball State, stated disappointment about the bill not passing. [4] In an opinion column for the Star Press, Jeff Ward argued that the members of the Indiana Legislature should have advanced the bill, and that "incompetence" rather than political opposition prevented its passing. [5] At the time, the Republican Party had supermajority status in both the Indiana House and the Indiana Senate. [6]

A special session was called which allowed the bill to be reconsidered. [7] House Bill 1315 made it to the Governor of Indiana, who passed it into law. This meant the board of trustees of the university began to operate the school district, [8] on July 1, 2018. [9]

The board selected Lee Ann Kwiatkowski to operate the district in 2019. She retired in 2024, [10] effective June 30. Chuck Reynolds became the new head of the school district. [11]

In period prior to 2021, the enrollment had decreased. That year, the district administration anticipated that enrollment would now stay about the same. [12] In 2022, it raised the salaries of teachers, and the district administration stated that it was the largest such occurrence in the history of the school district. Stephanie Wiechmann of Indiana Public Radio contrasted the raises in 2022 from the periods of financial issues that occurred around 2017. [13]

Schools

High school:

Middle schools:

Elementary schools:

Preschool:

Former schools

High schools
Elementary schools

Prior to the 2017 closures of the Mitchell, Storer, and Sutton schools, according to the The Star Press, MCS operated more schools than multiple school districts in Indiana of a similar student body size. [16]

References

  1. ↑ Geography Division (January 12, 2021). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Delaware County, IN (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved 2025-05-03. - Text list
  2. ↑ Boyd, Oseye T. (May 12, 2008). "Board to have first-ever black majority". The Star Press . Muncie, Indiana. pp.  1-2. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 Slabaugh, Seth (2018-03-14). "Bill to give Ball State control of Muncie schools dies in Indiana Legislature". Muncie Star Press . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  4. ↑ Slabaugh, Seth (2018-03-15). "Geoffrey Mearns: BSU surprised, disappointed that Muncie Schools takeover bill failed". Muncie Star Press . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  5. ↑ Ward, Jeff (2018-03-15). "Jeff Ward: Indiana lawmakers fail Muncie Schools, Ball State with no vote on HB 1315". Muncie Star Press . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  6. ↑ Wiechmann, Stephanie (2018-03-15). "Ball State-Muncie Schools Bill Dies After Chaotic Session End". Indiana Public Radio . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  7. ↑ Wiechmann, Stephanie (2018-04-20). "Ball State-Muncie Schools Bill Included In Special Session". Indiana Public Radio . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  8. ↑ Wiechmann, Stephanie (2018-05-16). "Ball State University To Run Muncie Schools On July 1". Indiana Public Radio . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  9. ↑ Wiechmann, Stephanie (2018-05-16). "Ball State University To Run Muncie Schools On July 1". Indiana Public Radio . Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  10. ↑ Wiechmann, Stephanie (2024-03-13). "Muncie Schools CEO hired in Ball State legislative-approved partnership is retiring". Indiana Public Radio . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  11. ↑ Penticuff, David (2024-03-14). "Muncie schools CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski to retire in June; Chuck Reynolds will take helm". The Star Press . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  12. ↑ Wiechmann, Stephanie (2021-09-17). "Muncie Schools Predicts Stabilized Enrollment After Decade Of Decline". Indiana Public Radio . Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  13. ↑ Wiechmann, Stephanie (2022-04-27). "Muncie schools gives 'largest' teacher raises five years after being 'financially distressed'". Indiana Public Radio . Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  14. 1 2 3 "Muncie Community Schools To Close Three Elementary Schools, Keep Middle School Open". Indiana Public Radio. 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  15. 1 2 3 Slabaugh, Seth (2017-04-13). "Muncie school board votes to close 3 schools". The Star Press . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  16. ↑ Slabaugh, Seth (2017-04-19). "MCS operates more schools than its peers". The Star Press . Retrieved 2025-06-03.
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