MARTINSVILLE — Going into Martinsville’s school board meeting last Thursday, there was nothing on the agenda under the header of old business. Instead, Martinsville Superintendent Eric Bowlen filled the space with an impassioned, 25-minute defense of investing in the district’s kids — an investment that follows a 60-percent increase to its debt service levy last fall.

In response to recent complaints on local social media groups about the increased tax rates, Bowlen defended the need, arguing they were necessary to repair and maintain school facilities. He said Martinsville loses students to other districts because of lack of investment in the school district.

Last September, when the tax increase was first proposed, the district published a facility assessment that “identified about $95 million in construction needs.”

That included a list of 88 capital projects totaling nearly $23 million it had planned for 2024, which included more than $10 million in HVAC work alone at 10 different district buildings. 

Other big ticket items included $2.2 million for partial roof replacement at Martinsville High, $1.5 million to replace bleachers at the high school and $2 million for roof replacement at John R. Wooden Middle School. 

But that leaves more than $70 million in construction and capital needs the school district still has on its radar. 

At last week’s meeting, the superintendent said the tax increases — approved last year and implemented this year — should have been done incrementally over the past 15 years, but previous administrators feared public backlash and thus allowed the district’s facilities to be neglected.

“How long do we want to be treated as second-class citizens?” Bowlen said. “Our students are not second-class students. Our parents are not second-class parents. Our staff is not second-class.” 

When board members made comments at the end of the meeting, members Dan Conway and Jacque Deckard voiced agreement with what Bowlen said and encouraged the community to come to board meetings to ask questions and voice concerns rather than turn to social media.

“Stand up in a school board meeting, show up at a school board meeting, watch it on TV,” Conway said, referencing the livestream posted on YouTube. “I don’t think folks do it, and then they wonder what happens. But we’ve been, I believe, as transparent as we can.”

In other news

• The board approved the first 20 updates to the staff policy handbook, which include updates to things such as health services, administrator ethics and staff gifts, amongst others. Twenty other updates to the policy handbook will be considered at the board’s next meeting.
• The 2024-2025 student handbooks for Martinsville High School, John R. Wooden Middle School, Bell Intermediate Academy and the district’s elementary schools were approved by the board.
• The Artesian Childcare contract was extended to June 2024.
• The board granted permission to Green Township Elementary to implement an archery program for their fourth-graders during gym class. The program will be funded via an Indiana Department of Natural Resources grant of $2,700 and an additional $500 will be paid using school Extra Curricular Account funds.

~ By Jared Quigg | Reporter | Published April 25, 2024 in The Morgan County Correspondent