INDIANAPOLIS — Some Central Indiana school districts will not host in-person learning on Monday to allow teachers and staff to participate in the Indiana State Teachers Association’s Day of Action at the Indiana Statehouse.
This comes after multiple bills this session have implications surrounding public school funding, including Senate Bill 1, the state’s property tax bill, and Senate Bill 518, a bill that would require public schools and eligible charter schools to share property taxes as well as future operating referendum proceeds.
The association’s day of action is scheduled to occur from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday at the Indiana Statehouse, located at 200 W Washington St. in downtown Indianapolis.
“This is your opportunity to speak up for public schools, collective bargaining rights and the needs of Indiana’s students and educators,” the association said on its website.
According to recent statements from the association surrounding Senate Bill 1, ISTA officials said that they believe that property tax reform is important. However, they stressed that any changes should “maintain a balanced approach that does not negatively impact students or the critical services (that) schools provide.”
Monroe County Community School Corporation
According to a news release from the Monroe County Community School Corporation, the district will host an asynchronous eLearning day to allow both staff and educators the chance to attend the day of action.
In the release, the district highlighted the importance of advocating for public school funding. Officials said that asynchronous instruction “ensures continued learning” while the district advocates for public school funding.
The district said that the two bills, in their current form, could put “tens of millions of dollars… at stake” and could have “devastating consequences for public education across Indiana.”
The district said in the release that there will be no in-person instruction in the district on Monday. All after-school activities and programs will also be canceled. However, both the north and south locations of the Early Learning Center will be open and operate as normal.
“Tens of millions of dollars are at stake that support core instruction and critical resources. Without these dollars, our ability to provide the high-quality instruction that our children deserve and that our community expects, will be hindered,” said MCCSC Superintendent Markay L. Winston, Ph.D in the release. “The MCCSC administration stands in solidarity with our teachers and staff in support of the students we serve every day. We encourage our community to call or write our legislators, asking them to adequately fund K-12 public education to keep critical funding and resources with the students we serve.”
The release said that the district’s food services will provide meal pickup for students and families from 12-1:30 p.m. on Monday at the following schools:
- Templeton Elementary School, located at 1300 S. Brenda Ave. in Bloomington
- Fairview Elementary School, located at 500 W 7th St. in Bloomington
Families can request lunch pickup via an online form sent via email. Guidance for asynchronous eLearning has also been shared with families and staff via email.
Metropolitan School District of Pike Township
According to a post on social media, officials with the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township also said that Monday will be an asynchronous eLearning day for K-12 students.
District officials said on Friday that the district had 184 planned teacher absences for Monday, which did not include absences due to illness or “other unavoidable circumstances.”
Pike Township officials said that assignments will be posted on Canvas for students to complete throughout the day.
Preschool students at the Nathaniel Jones Early Learning Center, College Park Elementary School and Guion Creek Elementary School will have in-person instruction. After-school tutoring will be canceled, the district said, but other after-school activities, along with the An Evening with the Arts event, will not be impacted.
This is an ongoing story. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
