As uncertainty continues regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, our community’s K-12 public school systems recently announced plans for the start of the school year. The trustees and administration for Monroe County Community School Corp. and Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corp. are working to balance safety issues for students and staff while ensuring a positive learning experience.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce urges support for parents, teachers and students during this stressful time. We encourage employers to be flexible and patient as their employees navigate this shifting landscape. There are no easy answers, but we trust that our local educators are working to find the best possible outcome for students.

Information about MCCSC’s reopening plan is on the district's website. RBBCSC’s back-to-school plan is available here.

Good luck to all students, teachers, and parents for a successful start to the school year. We support you!

The Tobacco-Free Coalition of Monroe County is looking for 5 youth between the ages of 13-18 years old who would like to participate in VOICE, a youth advocacy campaign.

​VOICE is Indiana's statewide youth empowerment program, an initiative to engage, educate, and empower teens to celebrate a tobacco-free lifestyle. 

Do you know a teen who might be interested? Contact the coalition's Youth Coordinator, Patricia Colon, at pcolon@iuhealth.org for more information.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is a member of the Tobacco-Free Coalition. Click here to learn more about our community's tobacco cessation efforts.

How does our local government set priorities for funding projects? Youth Participatory Budgeting (YPB) is a program that helps young residents learn this process by allocating real dollars for projects they propose.

​The City of Bloomington's 2019 budget includes $15,000 for a new YPB program. Students who attend a Monroe County school and who will be in grades 8-12 at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year are invited to participate. Proposed projects must benefit the general public in one of the following categories: arts/culture, education, environment, recreation, social concerns or "other."

Several communities nationwide have launched some type of participatory budgeting, including Boston, Seattle, New York City and Denver.

​Get more details about Bloomington's effort on the city's YPB website, including a timeline for this process. Ready to apply? Click here. And follow the process on Instagram at YPB Bloomington!

Want more info? Check out this post on CitizenLab: "8 Steps to Effective Participatory Budgeting."