In May, the Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) announced encouraging progress in restoring financial balance through natural attrition and non-classroom position eliminations. This month, the corporation is pleased to announce that no teachers will be laid off for the 2025–2026 school year, while the corporation will continue to move forward in its two-year strategy to achieve financial balance.
“I am proud that to-date, we have been able to keep as many position eliminations as possible outside of our classrooms,” said Superintendent Dr. Markay Winston. “Our team has worked diligently and thoughtfully to minimize direct impacts on students and teachers, and because of this work, we are moving in the right direction.”
Dr. Winston emphasized that while meaningful progress has been made, the school corporation has not yet achieved financial balance.
MCCSC’s two-year strategy aims to address the structural budget gap between revenue and expenses. Through 2025, the corporation is projected to lose $22.4 million from declining enrollment (-835 students) while payroll costs have increased $28.6 million over the last three years. Because payroll expenses account for approximately 85% of the corporation’s total budget, future position reductions will likely be necessary to balance staffing with student enrollment.
“We continue to face a number of political and financial headwinds that will require tough decisions in the future,” said Winston. “I do not want to give the impression that we are back in financial balance—we are not there yet. Additional disciplined belt tightening will be necessary across all areas of our school corporation.”
New state legislation (SEA 1) is projected to reduce MCCSC’s state funding by approximately $17 million over the next three years, with additional losses after 2028 when the corporation will be required to share property tax revenue with charter schools.
“We will continue to keep our students at the center of every decision we make,” Dr. Winston added. “Thank you to our educators, families, staff, and community for your patience and understanding as we navigate this very difficult landscape.”
