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 […]
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 Muncie, Indiana BLOG – Many Muncie residents are still upset over the state takeover of Muncie Community Schools (MCS). The teacher union is obviously upset since they recently won a state ruling over their contract dispute, but the victory was short-lived. It lasted less than a weekend. The union knows teacher jobs […]
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. […]
By: Todd Smekens Muncie, Indiana – The state’s “Fact-Finder” chose the Last Best Offer (LBO) submitted by the Muncie Teachers Association in a 30-page ruling opening the door for an appeal by Muncie Community Schools (MCS). Within hours, a press release came from MCS informing the public that it will most likely appeal the state’s […]
By: Todd Smekens March 22, 2017 Muncie, Indiana – After my last article had focused on the poor financial condition of Muncie Community Schools, social media and even broadcast news opened up the floodgates of misinformation. Some city council members tried to prey on the misinformation and fears, but it backfired. Also, readers want to […]