The Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) provided its first quarterly update on the corporation’s two-year strategy to achieve financial balance at the Board of School Trustees’ regular meeting on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
The purpose of MCCSC’s two-year strategy is to correct the structural factors in the corporation’s budget to achieve long-term financial sustainability. This effort has become even more critical as the corporation faces a more than $17 million reduction in state funding due to 2025 legislation. In response to these combined challenges, the corporation shared in April that staffing reductions would become a necessary part of its two-year strategy, but not a first priority.
As part of her May update on the corporation’s two-year strategy, MCCSC Superintendent Dr. Markay Winston outlined MCCSC’s progress achieved to-date through:
- Natural Attrition: The corporation currently has 198 positions that are vacant or expected to become vacant by August 2025 due to retirements and resignations. While most vacancies are not planned to be filled, each will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
- Non-Classroom Cost Savings: MCCSC projects annual savings of $7,666,705 from non-classroom cost savings. This includes the natural attrition of 28.8 full-time positions in centralized services and the elimination of 53.3 full-time positions in centralized services, as well as other operational efficiencies. The majority of the positions being eliminated are custodial and health aide roles that were initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, but reductions also include central office administrators, support staff, information technology, transportation, and food services.
“We are very sensitive to the fact that these are individuals’ livelihoods, and we don’t take that lightly. Because our financial reality makes these difficult decisions necessary, we are prioritizing centralized service reductions, to protect classroom instruction,” said Winston. “We are committed to supporting every affected employee with all available resources and support.”
Following Winston’s update, Chief Financial Officer John Kenny gave a financial transparency report that illustrated how the corporation’s natural attrition and non-classroom cost savings have begun to impact cash balance projections through 2028.
“To be clear, we are not there yet, but we have made improvements in our cash balance to-date through our two-year strategy,” said Winston. “While we will continue to realize cost savings through retirements and resignations, our financial transparency report makes it clear that we have not yet reached a sustainable financial model. We will continue to examine operational efficiencies corporation-wide and in centralized services first before examining cost savings at the building-level.”
Among others, additional updates shared at the Board meeting included:
- MCCSC’s Referenda Impact Report. Superintendent Winston outlined how the 2022 and 2023 referenda funds were allocated from January 2023 to March 2025. The approximately $22.6 million annual investment expanded early learning access, supported teachers and staff, enhanced curriculum and student services, and provided free school supplies.
Winston emphasized that understanding the role of referenda funding is critical in the context of MCCSC’s two-year strategy to achieve financial balance.
“For context, our 2022 and 2023 referenda provide 18% of MCCSC’s operating budget, sustaining high-quality education and student supports, but they cannot address structural financial imbalance,” she said. “That’s why our two-year strategy will continue to focus on sustainable cost reductions and revenue generation.”
- MCCSC’s Redistricting Study Commission. Dr. Tim Dowling, director of early learning and enrollment, shared how the Commission is identifying key criteria for evaluating redistricting models for MCCSC. Updates from each Commission meeting are posted at mccsc.edu/redistricting.
- MCCSC will offer online learning. Superintendent Winston announced that the corporation is actively exploring online learning options for grades K through 12, and more information would be forthcoming.
- Two new school principals were officially appointed for the 2025-26 school year. Kelley Dawson will transition from assistant principal at University Elementary School to principal of Rogers Elementary School after 14 years of service in MCCSC. Malynda Fields will transition from assistant principal to principal of Lakeview Elementary School after eight years of service to the corporation.
For more information about the corporation’s two-year strategy and Frequently Asked Questions, visit mccsc.edu/strategy.
Information about Board of School Trustees meetings can be found under the Board of School Trustees tab at www.mccsc.edu. The next regular meeting of the Board will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24 at the MCCSC Co-Lab located at 553 E Miller Dr, Bloomington, IN 47401. Board meetings are streamed online on MCCSC’s YouTube channel, linked at www.mccsc.edu.
