MCCSC tables Childs-Templeton merger, redistricting; will hire interim superintendent

Monroe County Community School Corp's March board meeting ran nearly three hours, yet action on key topics – including merging Childs and Templeton elementary schools, redistricting and teacher discussion rights – was postponed to next month.

Public comment during the meeting focused heavily on the proposed Childs-Templeton merger and redistricting, with the majority of speakers urging the board to stop discussions of a merger.

Board members ironed out details for merging the schools, tabled an amendment to board policy and moved to hire an interim superintendent, following a decision earlier this month to buy Superintendent Jeff Hauswald out of his contract early for $228,926.31.

Here's what you need to know from the March 26 meeting:

The board clarified the timeline for the Childs-Templeton merger

Board members formally moved the proposed Childs-Templeton merger to the 2025-2026 school year. Prior to the March 26 meeting, the merger didn't have a defined timeline, though many parents worried it could take effect as soon as next school year.

"No action would happen in 2024," board President April Hennessey clarified during the meeting.

The 2025-2026 timeline had previously been discussed during public listening sessions, but the board was unable to vote on the timeline outside of a formal public meeting.

School board members did not take action on whether to move forward with such a merger.

The board may vote on redistricting next month

The board held its longest public discussion to date on both the redistricting and merger proposals, and members moved any vote related to the proposals to next month’s meeting. The board was careful to say it wasn’t planning to vote on any one specific proposal.

President Hennessey said it was important to move the motion forward for public transparency.

“They need to know, one way or another, what is happening or where we’re moving toward,” Hennessy said.

Board members plan to bring presentations and FAQs on the proposals to next month’s board meeting.

The board will select an interim superintendent to replace Hauswald

The school board voted unanimously to hire an interim superintendent to replace Superintendent Jeff Hauswald, who this month agreed to an early buyout of his contract at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. The board will hire the interim superintendent to serve from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

President Hennessey, who introduced the motion, argued an interim superintendent would help to ensure cohesive planning between the superintendent and school board after potential turnover of board members in the upcoming election. This November, four of the seven board members are up for reelection: April Hennessey, Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, Erin Cooperman and Ross Grimes.

“I think it makes more sense to hold that final search until November when the board has been established one way or another,” Hennessy said.

The board did not establish a timeline for hiring an interim superintendent, and Hennessey said the position may be an internal appointment.

The board voted to table a policy change on discussion rights

The board tabled a bylaw that would have changed the relationship between teachers, board members and the superintendent, after a lengthy discussion period raised questions about the exact impact of the bylaw as it was written.

The proposed bylaw was written in response to a statewide senate amendment passed last year, which removed the requirement for school employers to “discuss certain items with the exclusive representative of certificated employees.”

Under current state law and board policy, teacher concerns regarding “working conditions and student learning conditions” cannot be discussed with the school board – only the superintendent. The state Senate amendment further complicated discussion between the superintendent and teachers – who in MCCSC, are represented by the Monroe County Education Association – by removing the requirement for the superintendent to hear these concerns, changing the “shall” to a “may.”

The proposed bylaw seeks to change that “may” back to “shall,” and revise the channels of communication between teachers and the school corporation to additionally include the school board.

Erin Cooperman announced before the vote she would be voting against the bylaw, arguing it could stall decision-making.

“My concern is that an exclusive representative could use the possibility of a lawsuit to change the outcome of a board decision, whether or not that is aligned with the perspective of the majority of teachers.”

The debate that unfolded from there revealed more questions than answers, including who fell under the definition of the “school corporation” and whether teacher-board discussions needed to occur in a public meeting. Ultimately, the board moved to table the vote until next month.

Board members seem interested in moving sixth-grade to middle school

Several board members expressed support for transitioning sixth-grade classes to middle school amidst discussions of the Childs-Templeton merger. Moving sixth grade to middle schools had previously been discussed at a merger listening session.

“Having three years in a building is advantageous to kids, and that’s something I think we should look at in the scope of redistricting as well,” Ross Grimes said. “Three years to 12 years is a big age gap in a building.”

Hennessey expressed support for the transition, adding MCCSC’s planned preschool expansion will increase the number of children in elementary schools.

No formal actions were taken on the topic, and it was unclear if the sixth-grade transition is contingent on broader discussions of the merger or redistricting.

The next MCCSC school board meeting will be on April 23 at 6 p.m. at the MCCSC Co-Lab, 553 E Miller Dr.

Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: MCCSC board postpones Childs-Templeton, redistricting votes