Union Schools file suit against state

Legislation passed last month calls for the closure of Union School Corporation. The Rockets do not plan to go away quietly.

Union School Board filed a lawsuit against the State of Indiana on Thursday in Randolph County Circuit Court in an effort to block the section of Senate Enrolled Act 1 that calls for Union Schools to be closed following the 2026-27 school year.

The suit, filed by Union School board and its members Christina Ogden, Jeff Burke, Christa Ellis, Chad Ogden and David Schmucker and signed by superintendent Galen Mast, names Gov. Mike Braun and State Secretary of Education Katie Jenner as defendants as well as the State of Indiana. Law firm Delk McNally of Muncie is representing Union School Corporation in the suit.

It alleges that SEA 1 violates the Indiana Constitution and requests that all aspects of the legislation directed at Union Schools be halted.

The lawsuit targets a portion of SEA 1 that bans Union Schools from issuing new bonds, entering into a lease or otherwise incurring any new obligations after July 1. It says the provision prevents Union Schools from entering into new contracts with teachers and any other new purchases or agreements, such as food service, that would be necessary to run the school corporation for the next two years.

“Perhaps if the House or Senate permitted public comment or input on the July 1, 2025 moratorium on incurring new obligations, someone would have realized this requirement was unworkable and created a dangerous environment for the students of Union Schools,” the suit says. “Rather it seems no one advocating for SEA 1 made any effort to determine either the workability or constitutionality of this law.”

The suit also questions why Union School Corporation was the sole target of the legislation. Referencing a statement from State Rep. J.D. Prescott (R-Union City) regarding low test scores, the suit notes that a school corporation with lower scores was not addressed in SEA 1.

The suit also alleges that the section of the legislation regarding Union Schools violates the Indiana Constitution on various fronts, including not being limited to a single subject. It also says the measure violates the prohibition of local and special legislation, denies students a general and uniform system of education and deprives students of privileges available to other school corporations.

“As a result, the Union School Corporation, the Plaintiffs and the constituents of Union School Corporation will be irreparably harmed by the lack of educational, athletic, and civic opportunities schools provide, which form the bedrock of a free state,” it says.

SEA 1, which Braun signed into law on April 15 after it passed the Senate on a 27-22 vote, calls for Union School Corporation to be dissolved on July 1, 2027. All of Union’s territory that is in Randolph County is to be annexed to Monroe Central School Corporation while its territory in Henry County will be annexed to Blue River Valley Schools.

It also calls for the school corporation to sell property or transfer it to Monroe Central School Corporation and use any unencumbered funds and assets to pay existing debts. (If those funds are not enough to pay debts, the state general fund will pay off any remaining debts. If there are leftover funds, they will be distributed to Monroe Central and Blue River based on a formula laid out in the bill.)