MUNCIE — Ball State University officials pointed out to state lawmakers this past week that appointed school boards are not unheard of in Indiana.
But a proposed agreement between the university and lawmakers to replace the elected Muncie Community School Board with one appointed mostly by Ball State bucks a long-term trend across the state.
Not quite two decades ago, there were in the neighborhood of 60 appointed school boards in Indiana. Further back in time, the vast majority of Indiana's school boards were appointed.
Today, only 11 of the state's 289 traditional school districts are governed by school boards appointed by town councils, township boards, mayors or city councils. The other 96 percent of school boards are elected.
"There has been a slow movement toward board members being elected by their communities," said Michael Adamson, director of board services at the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA).
One reason for that is election of school board members is more democratic.
If House Bill 1315 becomes law, which ISBA expects to be the case, Muncie schools (5,215 students) would join these school districts governed by appointed school boards: