The Herald-Times building may soon transfer out of the Monroe County Community School Corporation’s hands.
The MCCSC Board of School Trustees unanimously supported a motion Tuesday to begin its sale process, after much discussion over what the building could have been used for. Board members said the costs to renovate the property, given increased financial constraints, would have been too high.
Board President Erin Cooperman called the rationale behind the decision a “sad symbol” of a worsened financial reality for the district as statewide legislative impacts and declining enrollment hit. Amid funding losses, MCCSC’s certified budget this year was about $8 million lower than 2025’s.
The Herald-Times building
MCCSC bought the building, formerly home to The Herald-Times, for nearly $3 million in 2022. Its latest valuation, calculated last year, sits just above $1.4 million. Board member April Hennessey said the cost to acquire the property was “marginal” compared to the district’s overall budget.
The Herald-Times held the lot, at 1900 S. Walnut St., from 1961 until MCCSC purchased it. The property is located by a Bloomington Transit bus line and near Bloomington High School South, the administration building and the transportation center. To MCCSC officials, that made it an ideal candidate to centralize some of the district’s operations.
“It would have been a consolidation of services, potentially, right?” Hennessey said. “It could potentially have been an improved health center for our employees. It could have been a lot of things, I think.”
Cooperman said she was interested in the space being used for robotics tournaments and STEM. She said she heard interest from various possible community partners.
“But no one, unfortunately, was able to write a check for the amount of money that it would take to improve the property to make it usable for those purposes,” she said.
Financial pressure
Senate Enrolled Act 1, a 2025 property tax reform law, could cut MCCSC’s revenue by about $17 million from 2026-28, according to state projections.
Declining enrollment has also hurt the district, as it’s lost over 800 students between the 2020-21 school year and 2023-24. The district attributes the decline to a decreasing population in Monroe County, lower birth rates, competition from private, charter and online schools and other factors. Fewer students lead to funding cuts from state tuition support, which is allocated per pupil.
As for the Herald-Times building, MCCSC Chief Financial Officer Matthew Irwin said needed improvements would “eat up a significant portion of the debt capacity we would have over the next few years.”
“It would limit our ability to make other necessary improvements that are wanted and needed,” he added.
What to do with the building now?
The meeting opened with a required public hearing on the sale, though no public commenters rose. However, in a prior survey taken by more than 400 people, 40% of respondents said the best use of the building would be to sell it. Others supported various other uses, from educational programs and services to sports facilities.
But the district’s financial position made the decision difficult for board members. The money MCCSC would need to invest to transform the building would limit the district’s finances further, board Vice President Ross Grimes said.
“We would have to put so much into it in order to create what was envisioned before,” board Secretary Ashley Pirani said.
The board unanimously approved motions to take necessary steps to sell the property and hire a broker. Still, the door is not wholly shut.
“I mean, if there’s a donor out there in the 2.5 people listening who, like, has a lot of money and wants to invest in this building for MCCSC,” Hennessey said, “I will not say no.”