The Monroe County Community School Corporation board approved a transfer of funds, announced an online financial transparency portal and responded to state changes to the Teacher Appreciation Grant program at its monthly meeting Tuesday.
The board considered Resolution 2026-04, which transfers an amount not exceeding $12.5 million from the county’s Education Fund to Operations Fund. For this fiscal year, MCCSC’s total budget is $181,004,367.
The Education Fund pays expenses related to student instruction and learning. This includes items like teacher salaries or instructional materials. MCCSC receives a “per-pupil” amount of tuition support from the state. It makes up nearly half of MCCSC’s 2026 budget, according to its website.
The Operations Fund covers the costs of running schools and facilities not associated with classroom instruction. Transportation and building maintenance fall under this fund and are paid by local property taxes.
House Enrolled Act 1009 reformed school funding in 2017, creating two new funding categories: an education fund and an operations fund. Chief Financial Officer Matt Irwin said property taxes are not enough to cover operation fund expenses, so it is “very common” for schools to transfer 10% or above from their education fund.
Some community members expressed concerns over the transfer of funding at the meeting.
"While you may not see an immediate effect, if you pass this resolution, it’s just seen as yet another cut to the morale of a lot of our teachers,” Jenny Noble-Kuchera, president of the Monroe County Education Association, said. “What are we worth?”
Indiana Code limits school corporations to transfer no more than 15% of their education fund state aid to their operations fund annually.
Irwin said MCCSC transferred only 5.8% of its education fund, which he said is “extremely low” in comparison to other school corporations.
“It is an up to amount. It is not the amount that we plan to transfer from education to operations,” he said during the meeting.
The resolution passed unanimously.
Additionally, the board repealed its current Teacher Appreciation Grant program following legislative changes to the program. The changes were part of the state budget, signed into law in May.
The state reduced appropriations for the program by approximately $2 million annually and added additional criteria that reduces how many teachers can qualify, according to the Indiana State Teachers Association.
The new state TAG program limits awards to no more than 20% of certified teachers in a district per year. According to ISTA, some criteria include being identified as “having a significant impact on student outcomes,” based on national, state or local assessment data.
The stipends are divided into three levels and range from $3,000 to $7,500. Once teachers are selected, the state must send funds to school districts by April 15. From there, the district has up to 60 business days to award stipends.
The board adopted a new TAG program in accordance with state regulations and Indiana Department of Education guidance unanimously. According to the proposed resolution, the stipends are now designated as one-time supplemental payments. Additionally, the MCCSC superintendent is “specifically authorized” to pay awarded teachers through the TAG.
Members also considered an over $8 million contract bid with E&B Paving, LLC for athletics and parking lot improvements at Bloomington High School North. The contract will be paid with the 2025 Lease Rental Bond, which is repaid through a property tax-funded Debt Service Fund.
An agreement with Veregy for the Solar Canopy and Retention Area project was recommended by Irwin for approval in the amount of nearly $3 million. These funds will also come from the 2025 Lease Rental Bond.
Under the agreement, Veregy will coordinate with Duke Energy to install additional electric vehicle bus chargers provided by MCCSC. Totaling 12 new chargers, Veregy will install eight under a new solar canopy and four under an existing canopy.
The board passed all contracts, bids and agreements, with Secretary Ashley Pirani abstaining from the vote.
The board approved a collective bargaining agreement between MCCSC and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees for all AFSCME Support Staff groups, effective Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027.
The contract does not include a base pay increase and instead provides stipends based on positions’ gross yearly wage without overtime, according to the meeting agenda. The agreement affects custodians, food service workers, bus drivers, maintenance staff and other support employees working in MCCSC schools.
Those employees would receive an annual, one-time stipend ranging from $375 to $475 in addition to base pay.
Superintendent Markay Winston announced the launch of a financial transparency portal aimed at showing how MCCSC uses its funding. It also explains the basics of how schools are funded.
The website currently includes MCCSC’s 2026 budget, an instructional “School Funds 101” section, frequently asked questions, referenda spending and impact and the school corporation’s two-year strategy.
Further updates to the portal are scheduled for February and March.
"We want our community to have confidence that MCCSC is managing resources wisely and communicating openly,” Winston said during the meeting.
MCCSC’s next regular board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 24.
