Changes to the state school funding formula have area school corporations closely tracking the legislative movements.
Governor Mike Pence has previously said he wants the current session of the General Assembly to be an education session.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board spent time Tuesday night reviewing an analysis of the anticipated changes. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says that while there’s a surplus, not much is coming back to schools.
“I think that in small, rural communities like ours, to me, the school is the heart of the community,” says Johnson. “This is not just bad for the school it’s bad for the community. Because if you don’t have a school inside of a small rural community, what do you have? You have nothing.”
Community meetings may be held in the future to discuss the issue according to the school board’s discussion.
North Judson-San Pierre is not alone. In Marshall County, the Culver School Board also spent time this week discussing the possibility of lobbying state representatives.
Culver Schools Superintendent Vicki McGuire says it is the responsibility of communities to speak up on issues of education, but they’re making moves to help their budget situation.
“I have really cut back on trips that tend to have them stay overnight, those types of things,” says McGuire. “You can really cut back on small things and make a difference.”
Previous discussions have included removing the cap on funding for charter schools and altering funding based on school performance and population.
