The year is 1990—picture chalkboards in classrooms and high school hoops in the Hoosier Dome. Housed in a former elementary school, the Central Indiana Educational Service Center was formed on May 2. CIESC was tasked with providing services to 10 Marion County school corporations, with a combined 70,721 students and 4,800 teachers. Back in the day, the center’s original departments and services included professional development training for school staff, Cooperative Purchasing, a portable planetarium, and an instructional lending library.
After only a year of serving PK-12 education, we purchased a fax machine, hired our third employee, and saved member districts nearly $700,000. Fast forward to the present day with immense growth and accomplishments in between, CIESC has been serving and supporting schools in Indiana for 35 years.
Where CIESC is Today
Growing and expanding for 35 years, CIESC currently has the highest membership in its history, with 35 public school district members representing over 230,000 students (one in every five public school students in Indiana). We’re proud to partner with each district and serve every student and educator to enhance academic achievement and operational efficiencies.
From our humble beginnings to our work today, CIESC is committed to transforming the PK-12 education system for the better. Each of our departments is dedicated to serving the Hoosier community through specified objectives that align with our mission to provide high-quality, sustainable, and affordable services. We work to ensure that every student in Indiana has access to education, which is why we’re proud to support our associate members: the Indiana School for the Deaf, the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Southside Special Services.
We’re not slowing down our progress anytime soon. CIESC has introduced a new Fee for Service opportunity that will benefit public, private, and charter schools. As the Indiana educational landscape evolves, CIESC continues to adapt to best serve our partners.
In the five years that I have been fortunate enough to serve CIESC as its executive director, we have grown significantly in membership programs and services. This has been the result of having an extremely talented and dedicated team that supports and serves students, educators, districts, and communities on a daily basis. This has been the tradition of CIESC over the course of its 35 years, and I am proud that our current staff is enhancing our service center’s legacy.
Dr. Andrew Melin, Executive Director
Knowing that every effort here at CIESC is rooted in supporting and serving others—that’s the reason I’m so thankful to be a part of this team.
Dr. Christy Hilton, Associate Executive Director
Our History and Key Milestones
As we reflect on 35 years of serving schools and districts, let’s first turn the clock back to 1976. This was the year Indiana Education Service Centers (ESCs) were authorized by legislative action to provide joint services for Indiana K-12 schools, building the foundation for organizations like ours. Thirteen years later, the Indiana General Assembly appropriated monies for a feasibility study of the formation of an education service center for Marion County in 1989.
As the overarching organization of each of our departments, we have lots of milestones to celebrate throughout the past 35 years. We’ve added programs, established long-term partnerships, and adapted to serve current educational needs. Here’s a look at some of our significant achievements and highlights beginning with our inception in 1990.
Scroll left/right through our history timeline below!
Central Indiana Educational Service Center (CIESC) was created and supported by state and member funds. With two full-time employees, CIESC began serving 10 members: Beech Grove, Franklin Township, MSD of Decatur Township, MSD of Lawrence Township, MSD of Pike Township, MSD of Warren Township, MSD of Washington Township, Perry Township Schools, MSD of Wayne Township, and the School Town of Speedway. These districts included 106 schools. The total Average Daily Membership (ADM) membership fee was $176,804 ($2.50/student), and the State allocation was $198,500.
CIESC launches our official website.
Almost 2,000 teachers spent nearly 17,000 hours in CIESC-sponsored professional development programs.
CIESC introduced the Sub-Finder program with two schools utilizing the service.
The Media Services department is established to create professional learning and training content.
Driver Ed Safety unveils five new corporate vehicles with sponsorship logos for the first time.
CIESC serves 124,960 students in 167 buildings.
CIESC places a server in each member district with PL Connect course pre-downloaded. Driver Education was rebranded as DriverEd Safety to better communicate with students and parents.
CIESC acquires Indiana Online Academy from MSD Wayne Township to provide an alternative option for all students to achieve academic success with online courses. During the first year, 379 students from 15 high schools successfully earned high school credits in 29 different courses.
Indiana School’s Educational Service Centers (ISESC) launches the Risk Management Program, a workers' compensation program.
Child Nutrition launches to provide savings for commercially purchased food items and processed commodities.
CIESC provides the first bus bid. More than 260 buses were purchased in the first year.
The Driver Ed Safety classroom portion is now available online.
CIESC expands the bus purchasing program to include all Indiana service centers, with more than 100 districts purchasing nearly 600 buses, totaling $50 million.
CIESC serves 180,000 students with a $4.75 ADM.
Indiana Online Academy receives its first accreditation from AdvancED.
Driver Education creates an online class approved by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, with over 150 students enrolled in the first summer.
Child Nutrition Program pilots at Beech Grove and Franklin Township for eventual expansion.
Cooperative Purchasing extends some bids through eProcurement to Indiana public libraries—37 libraries used the agreements.
864 hours of Professional Development training is provided to a total of 3,640 attendees.
Indiana Online Academy grows to 10 staff members, transitioning Angel to D2L BrightSpace.
Indiana Online Academy joins the national organization, Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance.
Media Services offers first compliance training videos available online (previously via DVD).
CIESC moves to Pyramid Two. Many staff come in on the holiday to organize boxes.
Indiana Online rebrands with a new logo and drops “Academy” from its name.
Dr. Andrew Melin becomes Executive Director.
Indiana Online launches its FlexED program.
COVID-19 closes schools; meanwhile, CIESC launches the Keep Indiana Learning website to share resources and best practices for online and continuous learning. CIESC announces Keep Indiana Learning website launch via press release.
Driver Education in-person classes are streamed online.
Indiana Online transitions to non-proctored finals due to COVID restrictions.
CIESC is an IndyStar Top Workplace award winner.
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), the Indiana Learning Lab, and Keep Indiana Learning announce the launch of the INLearning Partnership to provide comprehensive professional learning resources for Indiana educators. Professional learning expands to six team members.
Indiana Online and the Indiana Virtual Academy merge, making Indiana Online the largest non-profit provider of online services in the state. Indiana Online now has 15 team members.
Indiana Online reintroduces the “Academy” to provide full-time virtual options for students in grades five through twelve and hires full-time teachers.
Driver Ed Safety adds cameras and GPS-accessible software to their fleet of 46 vehicles.
Cooperative Programs provides over 8,500 discounted Zoom licenses.
The Administrative Supports department launches with climate audit services and additional coaching/mentoring support.
Indiana Online becomes the first program in the nation to be accredited by AccredVEd, powered by the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance.
Cooperative Programs reaches over $1 billion in bus sales, with over 10,000 buses sold.
Driver Ed Safety now leases 50 vehicles to accommodate demand.
Indiana Online celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Strength in Numbers: Celebrating Our Growing Staff
From a dedicated team of three to just under 100 full-time staff across all departments and expanding, our organization has grown along with our team. Over the years, employees have begun their careers with us, taking the first steps in their professional careers, while others have retired at CIESC. It’s been an honor to work with every team member every step of the way. Our staff encapsulates our values and makes CIESC what it is today.
Instructor of 30+ years, Debra Renie shares, “When I need help with anything, the office staff has always been there to figure my problem out, especially when it has to do with technology. They always have their door open for you.”
During my 21 years at CIESC, I’ve witnessed significant change and growth. However, one thing that has remained consistent is the commitment to supporting school districts through innovative approaches.
Jennie Thompson, Absence Management and HR Manager
I originally started at CIESC through a grant in 2000 and was blown away at how progressive the organization was with its programs. We were running a Cyberteacher program to train teachers how to teach online and use two-way interactive video conferencing systems. We were streaming professional development and offered a live Spanish class to students at various elementary schools through video conferencing. I loved being ‘ahead of our time’ and working in such an innovative, tech-rich environment. I learned so much, and that is what led me back after a few years away. I am honored to work at CIESC
Kim Hendrick, Indiana Online Director
Support Success in Education with CIESC
For 35 years and counting, CIESC has been committed to providing innovative programs and exceptional service to all PK-12 Indiana educational stakeholders. We allow organizations to function at the lowest possible cost while maintaining the highest possible quality. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for ESCs and K-12 education, and to support our partners at every twist and turn.
Thanks for celebrating 35 years with us! To learn more about CIESC’s services, contact us today or explore our programs and find the right fit for your organization. Don’t miss out on future news and service updates—subscribe to our newsletter.