Indiana – According to Adam Terwilliger, director of finance and logistics for the Monroe County Community School Corporation, despite an increase of 130 kids in enrollment over the past year, pre-pandemic enrollment levels have not yet been met.
Terwilliger claimed that the epidemic caused a decline in public school enrolment in Indiana in 2020 and 2021 and that since then, MCCSC has failed to make progress toward regaining those initial figures. Terwilliger claimed that whereas 11,182 students attended MCCSC schools in 2020, only 10,483 did so in 2021. According to him, the state’s public schools saw an enrolment decline of around 20,000 kids between 2020 and 2021; these state school patterns are replicated locally in the corporation.
245 students transferred on choice scholarships in the spring of the 2020–21 school year, according to the Public Corporation Transfer Report, which details where students go if they aren’t attending schools in the corporation. Students are given choice scholarships to use toward their tuition at participating institutions. Saint Charles Borromeo School, Adventist Christian Elementary, Covenant Christian School, Lighthouse Christian Academy, and Clear Creek Christian School are a few of the Monroe County participating schools.
Terwilliger claimed that when MCCSC has fewer students and lower attendance rates, they receive less funding. According to him, a reduction in funding may result in the loss of teachers and resources. He claimed that the organization gets additional funding from the Indiana Department of Education to address this. The community approved an MCCSC referendum in November of last year, which would have raised property taxes to pay for teacher wages, student programs, and the district as a whole.
“The implications of not having a referendum are dire,” Terwilliger said. “We wouldn’t be able to have the same level of staffing that we currently have to provide the same support for our students, hands down. We want to attract and retain quality staff.”
Terwilliger said MCCSC is trying to reach out to the public and let them know what services they offer for their students in an effort to increase enrollment numbers. As part of its outreach program to promote what its schools have to offer, the corporation also erected ‘I Heart MCCSC’ signs last summer.
The MCCSC board wants to boost community support between 2021 and 2025, maintain high standards for learning and experiences, hire a diverse staff, and offer dependable transportation. Other objectives include preserving effective communication and school safety.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work in touting our whole child framework and promoting our board’s strategic goals and priorities with access to opportunity,” Terwilliger said. “We continue to monitor these trends and work as a corporation to deliver in the best way possible to our students and to our families.”
