WINCHESTER, Ind. — The Union School Corp. will continue its operations after winning a lawsuit against the Indiana state government.
When the Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 1, the state’s property tax overhaul, in 2025, lawmakers included Amendment 45, which essentially singled out Union School Corp., shutting it down on July 1, 2027.
District leaders filed suit against the state to stay open on May 30, 2025, about a month and a half after the law was passed.
The district primarily offers online curriculum, which was part of the General Assembly’s argument to dissolve it.
Randolph Superior Court Judge Olivia S. Faddis issued a summary judgement, Friday, in favor of the school district. The hearing took about 12 minutes, according to Union School Superintendent Galen Mast, who said Faddis called Amendment 45 unconstitutional.
“Union School Corpo. is free from Amendment 45,” Mast said in a social media video after Faddis’ summary judgement.
The district serves about 300 students in person in Henry and Randolph counties, but it also serves nearly 9,000 students online through the Indiana Digital Learning School.
Mast told News 8 when he was first considering legal action in April that he would fight the mandate to close.
“Our first step is to fight it,” he said then. “We’re going to keep our doors open for years to come. We have a wonderful community here.”
Indiana State Teachers Association President Jennifer Smith-Margraf commended Faddis’ summary judgement Friday.
“Strong public schools are the heart of strong communities, especially in rural Indiana, where a local school is the often the center of town life,” she said in a statement. “(Friday’s) ruling is good news for the students, families and educators of Union School Corp. and the community that stood behind them, No community should lose its school without having a seat at the table. When lawmakers return in January, we urge legislators on both sides of the aisle to commit to an open, transparent process for any decision that affects a local school district and to work with educators, parents and local leaders rather than around them.”
The lawmakers behind Amendment 45 could not be immediately reached for comment on this story.
