School officials discuss sale of former Herald Times building as state funding shift strains budgets

At a Feb. 24 meeting the Monroe County Community School Corporation discussed its financial outlook amid state-level changes. The foundation’s executive director (unnamed in the transcript) said Senate Enrolled Act 1 has imposed financial pressure on school districts across the state but that MCCSC is preparing to manage the shortfall.

Assistant superintendent for human resources and operations Dr. Jeffrey Henderson said MCCSC purchased the former HD/Herald Times building in 2022 and that the district received 408 public responses on the building’s future, with 40% of respondents favoring a sale. Henderson outlined the statutory process for selling public property: a public hearing with notice under Indiana code, appraisal by two appraisers, and board approval; proceeds must be deposited in the operations fund and cannot be used for teacher wages and benefits.

Henderson said the board could hold a public hearing in late March and would revisit the issue in March. He said sale proceeds would be used to manage the operations fund and would not be available for teacher wages because state law restricts certain uses of proceeds.