Muncie Schools plans for layoffs to help cut budget deficit

The money the district received by selling Wilson Middle School helped drop the deficit from $3 million to a little under $1 million. But the district won’t be selling a building every year, Chief Financial Officer Mark Burkhart pointed out at Tuesday’s board meeting, so they still have to find a way to cut spending.

It comes down to people.

Superintendent Tim Heller is scrambling to come up with the procedure for the RIF, or reduction-in-force, with the Muncie Teachers Association. Together they are putting together a new reduction enforced policy.

The policy will detail what employee information the district looks at to decide who to layoff. Negotiations were not finished in time to get board approval on Tuesday.

The school board called for a special meeting at noon on Monday and Heller hopes to have a completed agreement for a vote.

Heller said they will “reduce as many as we can” across the district. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean teachers. He said more reductions will likely be in the administration building than any school.

Central High School is currently overstaffed as a result of the consolidation in August. Heller said they knew they were keeping too many teachers from the two schools, but did so to make the transition “as smooth as possible.”