The MCCSC Redistricting Study Commission met for the fifth time on Tuesday, June 25.
Dr. Blaine Garman-McClaine led a discussion and shared a synopsis of peer-reviewed research on topics relevant to the Commission’s work.
The rest of the meeting was spent studying school boundary maps of many possible redistricting scenarios. Each map included data about how that map’s school boundaries would impact:
• The percentage of Free/Reduced Lunch students at each elementary school
• The number of students at each school who would need to move schools
• The percentage of students who would change zoned schools
• The utilization rate* of each elementary school
• The median distance from students’ residences to school
The Commission is still in the early phases of studying school boundary maps for numerous school redistricting scenarios, and this work will continue in future Commission meetings.
Here is a recap of the Commission’s work to-date:
- March 2025: The Redistricting Study Commission made up of teachers, staff members, parents, guardians, students, and community members was formed to study redistricting in the MCCSC with two priorities set by the Board of School Trustees: balancing socioeconomic status and cost effectiveness. Membership was advertised and open to the public.
- April 2025: The Commission Project Charter was created to define the Commission’s goal: to provide the Board of School Trustees with a comprehensive study of redistricting scenarios and their impacts, including the 14 scenarios presented by Business Information Services in November 2024.
- May 2025: The Commission and the public (via 333 public survey responses) identified four top considerations that should be used to study redistricting, with the Board priorities:
Capacity, Resource Allocation, and Class Sizes
Student Wellbeing (Minimizing Student Disruption)
Transportation
Neighborhood Schools concept - These considerations and the Board’s two priorities were used to create a rubric for the Commission to use to study and evaluate all redistricting scenarios in a methodical way.
- May 28, 2025: Using the rubric, the Commission began to study school boundary maps for many (20) redistricting scenarios at their May 28 meeting (pictured above). Each map included data about how that map’s school boundaries would impact:
• The percentage of Free/Reduced Lunch students at each elementary school
• The number of students at each school who would need to move schools
• The percentage of students who would change zoned schools
• The utilization rate* of each elementary school
• The median distance from students’ residences to school
Commission members used the rubric to evaluate how closely each map aligned with the Board, Commission and public’s top priorities and considerations (listed above). - June 25, 2025: The Commission continued to study many of the same maps presented at the May 28 meeting, and additional maps created by the MCCSC data team.
Future Steps:
- Join us at the MCCSC Board of School Trustees meeting on July 8 at 6:00 p.m. for our next update on the Redistricting Study. Watch live on YouTube or attend the meeting at the MCCSC CoLab, 553 E Miller Dr, Bloomington, IN.
- Throughout fall 2025, the Commission will continue to study many possible redistricting scenarios, based on the rubric informed by input from the Board of School Trustees, Commission, and the public.
- As the Commission continues to evaluate redistricting scenarios, the number of scenarios will narrow to those that best align with the Board, Commission and public’s top priorities and considerations. Those scenarios will be studied more in-depth, and will include an analysis of the many factors that will impact cost effectiveness.
- The Redistricting Study Leadership team will then prepare a report to submit to the Board of School Trustees to present their study data for the Board’s use and further consideration.
The Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) will continue to share updates on the MCCSC’s Redistricting Study after Redistricting Study Commission meetings and Board of School Trustees meetings. The public can find these updates, frequently asked questions, and more information at mccsc.edu/redistricting.
