A category for news and information regarding k-12 and post-secondary education.
MIDWEST Blog – Schools take the brunt of the budget cuts in the United States. When assessing nationwide problems at an economic and political level, the root of a lot of problems is the quality of our public education system. For such a pivotal aspect of a country’s ability to excel and succeed, it is […]
By: Todd Smekens Muncie, Indiana BLOG – I just had to write a few words about the “Ball State takeover” or coup of Muncie Community Schools, otherwise known as House Bill 1315 authored by Rep. Tim Brown from Crawfordsville who orchestrated the original state takeover of Muncie Community Schools (MCS) last year via an emergency manager. Let […]
By: Todd Smekens Muncie, Indiana BLOG – Sometimes I hate being correct on assumptions, but with the case of Muncie Community Schools, the state and local community was looking for a scapegoat and found one – current superintendent, Steven Baule. I’m not sure what the psychology is but Americans love to persecute the messenger or […]
Muncie, Indiana Blog – Muncie Schools have officially been taken over by the state effective in two weeks. As most of you living in Delaware County have heard, “The Distressed Unit Appeal Board (“DUAB”) designated Muncie Community Schools as a distressed political subdivision pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-20.3-7.1. This means that effective January 1st, 2018, […]
By: Todd Smekens BLOG – Several months ago, the credit grading services of Standard &Poors (S&P) downgraded the school systems credit rating by four notches. That’s not good news. This comes on the heels of losing nearly $5 million in revenue as a result of declining enrollment. The primary reasons for the downgrade are: The […]
Muncie, Indiana BLOG – It’s an expensive endeavor to educate the children of the United States. Schools require funding from the state, local, and federal levels in order to give children the education they need. And yet, the funding is not enough. The amount of funding and allocation of those funds is in such […]
By: Todd Smekens BLOG – Because of changes to the state’s accountability formula, many schools saw substantial improvement last year across Indiana. Officials aren’t quick to pat themselves on the back. They’ve said because of using a component for “growth in ISTEP scores,” even a slight improvement would cause substantial growth for the school grade. […]
Steve Edwards Received Campaign Monies from Teachers Union By: Todd Smekens Muncie, Indiana BLOG – Muncie Community Schools’ emergency management team has a conflict of interest before he even starts, along with several other issues which can’t be glossed over with an opinion piece floated at the self-congratulatory propaganda arm of WLBC called the Muncie […]
By: Todd Smekens State Declares MCS, “Fiscally Impaired” Muncie, IN BLOG – The latest saga with Muncie Community Schools (MCS) unfolds as SB-567 was passed by both houses and moves toward the governor’s desk for his signature. In a nutshell, MCS district has been taken away from locally elected board members, replacing them with a […]
By: Todd Smekens Muncie, Indiana NEWS – To summarize the week, the board meeting on April 11th was supposed to send a clear message to state lawmakers, but the board failed to send a proactive message. If anything, the inability to pull the trigger sent the message that MCS isn’t capable of making tough decisions. […]