MCS holds hearing on potential Early Learning Center

A preliminary determination hearing for bonds up to $28 million for an Early Learning Center for Madison Consolidated Schools was held during Wednesday’s meeting of the school board, another step towards developing a facility on the grounds of the former E.O. Muncie Elementary School.

Kristin McClellan, bond counsel from Ice Miller, said the hearing is required by Indiana whenever “a school corporation proposes to spend a certain amount of money on a project, you must first hold two preliminary determination hearings” with Wednesday’s meeting being the first of the two. The next hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 16.

“It does not force you to issue bonds to do the project, or anything like that. It is truly a time for the public to hear about the project and the maximum cost,” she said, adding there will be resolutions to consider after the April 16 hearing and even more steps will be necessary after that.

Superintendent Dr. Teresa Brown talked about the need for a comprehensive early learning center, and that a lack of quality childcare is “a community crisis” that is not being served. She said the proposed childcare facility will provide 23 classroom spaces for children from birth to 5 years. “It will consolidate our successful preschool model currently serving 182 children in 13 classrooms, expanding access to high quality care for youngest ones.”

Brown said the Early Learning Center can be achieved “without placing an additional burden on our taxpayers” because upcoming debt repayments “create a unique window of opportunity allowing us to make a tax neutral investment in our community’s future.”

Jason Tanselle, director with Baker Tilly, the school corporation’s municipal advisor, said bonds will be repaid through the debt service fund. He said the school corporation currently has six bonds that are outstanding and payable from the debt service bonds that will begin to decline in 2026 and be paid off in 2031. “This outstanding debt structure provides the school corporation with the ability to potentially replace these payments without increasing these payments above current levels, and so what this means is potentially the school corporation would be able to issue these bonds without increasing its tax rates.” He said the maximum term of the bonds would be 20 years.

Natia Guldedava, human resources director with Royer Corporation, spoke of that company’s “enthusiastic support” for the childcare center. “Royer stands ready to help. We realize the critical need that the investment needs to be made by the community … We believe high quality, reliable childcare will help attract and retain high quality employees.”

She said a comprehensive childcare center would “take Madison and Jefferson County to another level and improve quality of life for everyone.”

Rick Roll, managing partner of eSolve Solutions, who has been leading a process to consider the feasibility of expanding childcare and daycare options in the community, read a statement on behalf Dr. Holly Robinson and Dr. Diamond Harris, leaders of Infants in Bloom, that expressed the investment in childcare “will pay dividends not only in our schools but throughout our community … By investing in early childhood we can also support our local industry by providing a solution to the number one barrier for women not to working, which is lack of childcare.”

Madison Deputy Mayor Tony Steinhardt III thanked the school board for “tackling a very large issue not just here in Jefferson County but throughout the state in providing us the opportunity to have childcare to help retain and attract top talent. We continue to see that as a major hurdle for us for our workforce” for Madison’s growing economy. “Madison is on a renaissance. We’re here at the right time with the right leadership to make the right choices for the future of Madison and I wholeheartedly support this project.”

School board member Michael Scott said, “It’s a lot of money, but I think we’ve presented it that we can do it and be tax neutral, not to burden taxpayers anymore than they already are. I look forward to having the second hearing next week and seeing this process go on.”