According to Glenda Ritz, the Ind. superintendent of public instruction, the budgetary shortcomings for transportation Muncie Community Schools are facing isn’t unique. In fact, she said it’s part of the norm.
“The transportation issue is getting worse and worse all over the state of Indiana actually,” Ritz said. “So we are going to see more situations like what occurred in Muncie.”
Last week, voters said no to a property tax increase that would have funded school buses for Muncie Community Schools. Ritz addressed the vote at her presentation Friday at the Ball State Teachers College. She said school districts are relying more on local communities after recently-passed legislation.
“The state of Indiana has taken a tact to funding in which referendums are part of the norm to get more additional funding,” Ritz said. “The tax caps will take a constitutional type of change because those were passed in a whole different manner. So that is going to take work on the legislative side.”
Sue Errington, representative for House District 34, says she is working with Muncie Community Schools on a legislative solution to transportation funding. She said that although it’s an uphill battle, there are allies in the legislature.
“I will be looking for other legislators who, they don’t necessarily have to be Democrats as I am,” Errington said. “But I am going to be looking at the schools that have been hit the hardest by the protected taxes concept and see if I can’t find allies among us to see what we can do about changing it so the school systems can have the flexibility to use the funds that they need to keep the buses running.”
Errington said she is meeting with Ritz soon and she plans on raising the MCS transportation funding issues in the statement.
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