This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, May 26th, 2026.

In today’s newscast, County Councilmember Pete Iversen speaks with WFHB News about the implications of tonight’s council vote on a purchase agreement for the North Park property for the purpose of a new jail and justice center.

You’ll also hear Dave Seastrom of the Indiana Forest Alliance, wary of the state’s promise to protect Hoosier forests. As news breaks of the upcoming expansion of Yellowwood State Forest we’ll hear more later in the show in a feature report.

MCCSC board advances staff reductions, cell phone ban, gets update about online school

By Kelton O’Connell

Last Tuesday (May 19), at its final regular meeting before the end of classes on Thursday, the Monroe County Community School Corporation board took several actions tied to staffing, finances, district policy, and facilities as administrators continued work on a two-year plan to stabilize the district’s budget.

Trustees approved a personnel report that included administrator departures, teacher transfers, and one reduction in force (RIF). The RIF provided one of the tenser exchanges of the night.

Context for the reduction are tight district finances.

MCCSC is just over a year into a two-year plan to reach fiscal sustainability that began in February 2025. The district cites declining student enrollment, reduction in state funding, and increasing payroll expenses as primary causes for projected losses.

Since 2025, MCCSC says it has evaluated spending and staffing and has made staffing adjustments accordingly. The May personnel report approved by the board on Tuesday included the elimination of one administrator position, three administrator retirements or resignations, 76 teacher position transfers, 20 teacher retirements or resignations, one teacher termination, and one reduction in force (RIF).

Losing her position was Hongzhi Wang, who taught Chinese language full-time for MCCSC, splitting her effort between Bloomington High School North (BHSN) and Jackson Creek Middle School. According to the personnel report, William Sanders, who taught Chinese at Bloomington High School South (BHSS) and Batchelor Middle School, will instead teach at the two high schools.

The meeting’s sole comment from the public mic came from BHSN junior Lyle Henry, who said, “I am here to speak out in support of my teacher, Mrs. Wang.” Board president Erin Cooperman cut him off.

Here is the full exchange, which begins at 11:23 in the meeting recording.

Henry: Good evening, my name is Lyle Henry and I am a junior at BHSN. I am here to speak out in support of my teacher, Mrs. Wang.

The guideline Cooperman cited is included on the board’s online public comment form: “Please know, there is no commenting on personnel issues.” The MCCSC bylaw on the topic says that the presiding officer may “interrupt, warn, or terminate a person’s statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant.”

Cooperman told The B Square that she believes discussion of personnel matters during public comment can open the commenter or the board to liability, and that’s why it isn’t allowed. On the topic of not responding to speakers, she said, “I can imagine the philosophy behind not having us respond to public comment directly, that they want to minimize conflict, but that’s just my guess.”

Later during the meeting, MCCSC chief financial officer Matt Irwin presented a financial update. According to his presentation, “significant progress” has been made since December 2024 projections. “We have come a long way,” Irwin said, “and we are taking steps in the right direction.” He said that means the district is starting to look ahead, preparing for expected and unexpected increases in costs that may come in the future.

During the same presentation, MCCSC superintendent Markay Winston said the district has already conducted a thorough analysis of its fiscal situation, spending, and staffing levels, and is continuing to make staffing adjustments and increase efficiency.

According to the presentation, since 2024, there have been about 90 full-time-equivalent (FTE) voluntary resignations and retirements and about 70 FTE position transfers. The district also said that 79% of staffing cost savings were achieved through voluntary attrition and position transfers. The remaining savings can be attributed to position eliminations and terminations.

That was the latest edition of B Square Bites – a collaboration between B Square Bulletin and WFHB. To read the full article, you can visit B Square Bulletin and look for the headline: “MCCSC board advances staff reductions, cell phone ban, gets update about online school.”

Featured Segments:

The Monroe County Council will vote tonight on a purchase agreement for the North Park property for the purpose of a new jail and justice center. In today’s feature report, WFHB News Correspondent Jorge Casillas speaks with County Councilmember Pete Iversen about what this vote means for taxpayers of Monroe County.

Yellowwood State Forest is growing. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has acquired 122 acres in northwestern Brown County to expand Yellowwood. Forest preservation advocates approve but remain wary, given the history of state-sanctioned logging on Hoosier public lands. Correspondent Andrew Price has that story in a feature report produced in partnership with The Media School at Indiana University.

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