By: Jim Williams, president of the Muncie Community Schools Board of Trustees—
At Muncie Community Schools, we are remaking our education system. We’re using an innovative cradle-to-career community-based model, with support from local businesses and non-profit organizations.
Our schools’ current, distinctive opportunities make MCS a smart choice for families. For example, kindergarteners, first- and second-graders at West View Elementary School this fall will be taught in Spanish and English in the Dual Language Immersion Program. At Muncie Central High School, students can earn a college associate degree along with their diploma.
Throughout the past year, I have witnessed firsthand the excellent education MCS provides, and I am optimistic about the future. As MCS enters the second year of its partnership with Ball State University, we have much to be proud of, including:
- More than $3 million in philanthropic investments
- Stipends for teachers and staff
- A Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and “A Night 4 You” Appreciation Gala, both sponsored by the Community Engagement Council
- The hiring of several proven leaders and educators to guide MCS
Most importantly, we had a successful 2018-19 school year and look forward to a promising 2019-20.
On July 1, the one-year anniversary of MCS’ new chapter, our district reached another milestone. Our Board of Trustees hired Dr. Lee Ann Kwiatkowski as our new Director of Public Education and CEO. Among qualified candidates, she stood out as a proven leader, an innovator and a first-rate educator committed to public education. She is passionate about putting students first and committed to the academic success of all children.
Like Dr. Kwiatkowski, we on the MCS Board believe all children deserve a first-rate education — regardless of background or circumstance — that prepares them for success in college, career and life. In our community, diversity is a strength. MCS students are eager to learn, and teachers are dedicated to their students.
You can see evidence of that devotion in two awards teachers recently won. A music teacher at West View received the Indiana University Armstrong Teacher Educator Award, and a sixth-grade science and math teacher at Northside Middle School received the Ball Brothers Foundation’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
Our momentum is getting stronger. The Community Education Summit on Sept. 25-26 will feature national experts on public education and innovation, and our Joint MCS/Ball State Academic Innovation Council is working on long-term plans for our district.
MCS and its students are thriving, with our community’s support of bold innovation and progress. In fact, mobilizing our community to focus on education is a centerpiece of meeting Muncie’s economic and social needs.
Now is a good time for families to enroll students in Muncie Community Schools.
Visit muncieschools.org.
