Tag Archives: MCCSC

Support Our Students by Acting Now

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce encourages the MCCSC school board to act now on determining the budget for the referendum dollars.

Christy GillenwaterThe Chamber supported the MCCSC Referendum because we recognized that the referendum was necessary to ensure our community’s future. We work daily to build better business and a better community and current and future students comprise our future workforce. Moreover, today’s students are the children of area employees and employers.

Through the Chamber’s Franklin Initiative, we partner with local schools to staff a full‐time Graduation Coach at each high school, funded through outside grants. Due to this and other dropout prevention strategies, the number of students who dropped out last year decreased by 17% from the previous year.

However, the Graduation Coach Initiative has also taught us that schools need more resources, especially when it comes to engaging at‐risk students. The number of dropouts continues to be too high in MCCSC, and that will continue until we address the sobering fact that thirty percent of MCCSC students are not reading at grade level. Therefore, literacy and dropout prevention need to be a primary focus.

On November 2, voters stepped up and supported the referendum. Due to time constraints, class scheduling for the fall, etc. the board had to act swiftly after the election. They formed a committee of respected school and community leaders to make thoughtful, rational recommendations, supported by data, on how to spend referendum dollars.

The committee, which included experienced MCCSC staff with an inside understanding of the needs faced by our students, proposed a comprehensive system of literacy interventions and implementation of an effective alternative school model proven to reduce the dropout rate. Their recommendations will improve educational outcomes among the students who need it the most, and they need to be implemented now. Our students don’t have the luxury of waiting for the next superintendent, and every day matters.

As a volunteer member of the referendum steering committee, never did I hear promises to restore the school system to its identical state before the cuts occurred. When The Chamber publicly voiced support for the referendum, we advocated that referendum dollars be used to decrease classroom sizes, increase the graduation rate, and to fund reforms where needed. We must continue to look for improvements in order to best use the additional resources generously bestowed by the taxpayers.

Voters approved the referendum to support our children and MCCSC. They entrusted the board and staff to then make the tough decisions about what is best for our kids. We now have additional resources to keep our community competitive, and there is no need to accept the status quo. That is why The Chamber urges the MCCSC school board to act now to seize the opportunities presented and not be content to continue with business as usual.

Finally, we recognize that these are extraordinary times for MCCSC. Our school system continues to face major challenges, but also amazing opportunities. We look to the school board to set the vision for the desired outcomes for our schools, and thank them for their countless hours of service addressing these important issues.

Christy Gillenwater
President & C.E.O.
The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce

Creating a Pervasive Culture of Educational Success

Today all young people need to be “college-bound.”  This could include a union apprenticeship, 2 or 4 year college degree, certificate, or anything that will improve marketability.   With so many affordable education options, financial aid, and support services, there’s no good financial excuse why every young person shouldn’t be able to do it.

Over the course of a lifetime, a 4 year college degree earns almost $1 million more than just a high school degree.  Yet only 44% of Indiana 9th graders enter college, and only 22% complete a degree within 6 years.   Our own MCCSC graduation rate is only Continue reading →

The Chamber’s Position on the 2010 MCCSC Referendum

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce supports the MCCSC referendum.  After surveying our members and vetting this important issue through our volunteer committee and board structure, The Chamber felt compelled to support the referendum. We must invest in the education of this and future generations of Monroe County students. Our schools need stable, reliable funds that will be used to decrease classroom size by restoring classroom programs and teaching positions.

Recent budget cuts have caused the elimination of more than 60 teaching positions; increased class sizes at all grade levels; reduced programs for the most at‐risk students; and cut district stipends for all extracurricular activities.

The Chamber has been, and will continue to be, active in discussions regarding the referendum. Following the November 2nd vote, we intend to communicate support for monies being spent to decrease classroom size, increase the graduation rate, and funding for reform measures where appropriate. We believe that the referendum money is critical to the future of our students, our workforce and our economic vitality. Bloomington must remain competitive by investing in our schools.

For more information on the referendum, including a tax calculator, visit: http://2010referendum.info/

Glaciers and Guidance Counselors

I recently had occasion to vacation in Glacier National Park.  Did you know that according to recent predictions, the glaciers in the park will be completely melted by 2020?  Rangers (darkly) joked with us that they’ll need a new name for the park.

But did you also know that a similar change is happening to guidance departments in public schools?  A new report just released by the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center includes a startling look at what guidance counselors actually do – and don’t do – in today’s schools.  As it turns out, their traditional role has melted away just as surely and inexorably as have those pearly caps on our American Alps.  So much so, in fact, the title “guidance counselor” may no longer be appropriate.

Bigger Mountains = Smaller Glaciers

Let’s start with the core issue: Guidance counselors are completely overloaded.  According to the report, the national average ratio of counselors to students is 467 to 1.  This is actually down from a ratio of 506 to 1 in 1997.

Things are worse in Indiana, which ranks 44th with a ratio of 543 to 1.  The recommended ratio is 250 to 1, but only four states (Louisiana, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming) actually meet this guideline.    But impossible caseload ratios only tell part of the story.

From Icebergs to Sno Cones Continue reading →

10 Reasons to Use Evidence-Based Programs

Many youth service providers feel they need to invent their own unique program.  Not so.  Plenty of proven, off-the-shelf models and programs are out there just waiting for the right application.  Odds are, some of them are designed to produce the exact outcomes you are looking for.

Here are 10 reasons to check them out and find one that works for your clientele.

  1. They Work. ‘Evidence-Based’ means it’s based on research.  In addition, there has usually been some kind of quasi-experimentation involving pre- and post-testing and comparisons with control groups.
  2. They’re Fundable. Over the past ten years, funding agencies, especially federal funders, have increasingly called for evidence based programs.  Sometimes they even provide a shopping list of programs that they are willing to fund.
  3. Just Add Water. There’s no need to spend time developing procedures, creating forms, and designing programs.  All these have already been developed, probably by someone who knows more about what works than you do.
  4. Instructions. The manual is already written, usually in step-by-step format. Continue reading →

The MCCSC Referendum and Lessons from the Past

With a school referendum on the horizon, it’s a good time to go back and review the results of the last Monroe County Community School Corporation referendum back in 1999.  However, comparisons with previous elections are tricky.  And there are important differences between the current situation and the one faced in 1999.

This time the referendum will be in response to major cuts in education funding, whereas the one in 1999 would have provided additional resources such as longer school days and more support staff.  It’s also a different kind of election.  1999 was primarily a municipal election including races for city council, city clerk and mayor.  The 2010 election will include many different county offices, townships, state legislature, U.S Congress, three school board races, and perhaps most unusual, a constitutional amendment to limit property taxes. Continue reading →

Better Schools Mean Better Business and Better Community

This column by Travis Vencel, chairman of the board, and Christy Gillenwater, president and CEO, of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce appeared as a guest column in The Herald Times on April 12, 2010.

“Better Business. Better Community.” A simple statement that reflects The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce’s belief that a strong business climate leads to a higher quality of life for everyone.

But as we all know, it takes many components to build a “better community.” That is why, through The Chamber’s Franklin Initiative, we work daily in our schools to make a difference in young lives, with particular attention paid to at-risk youth. This is a focus area for The Chamber because we also believe that better education creates better business and a better community. Continue reading →

2010 Graduates: Get a (Good) Job!!!

This May, about 1,000 high school seniors will graduate from Monroe County schools.  An estimated 750 of these will go off to college next fall.  Many of the remaining 250 will stay close to home and will need a good job as a new member of the full-time workforce.

The Chamber’s Franklin Initiative connects qualified young adults with entry-level jobs in the local economy.  We also teach them about the job search process and about what it takes to become a successful member of the workforce.  Franklin Initiative Graduation Coaches at each area high school work one-on-one with students to prepare them for life after graduation.

On Wednesday, April 29, the Franklin Initiative is holding the 3rd annual Employment Fair for Graduation Seniors.  At least 20 local employers from a wide variety of industries will be present to meet with soon-to-be graduates, tell them about their company, and accept applications.  Representatives from life sciences, manufacturing, banks, food and retail services, construction apprenticeship programs and others will be in attendance.  Ivy Tech and WorkOne will also be on hand with advice about continuing education and support for job seekers.  The event is open to seniors from surrounding counties as well, including schools in Morgan, Owen, Greene, Lawrence, and Brown Counties. Continue reading →