November 11, 2024 Summary

Posted byDacia MumfordPosted inSchool Board Meeting Summary, School Board Meetings

Key Takeaways: The final steps for the general obligation bond were approved, securing $3.2 million in new funding for the school district to complete various maintenance projects. Discussion of the renovation of the tennis courts at WLES highlighted efforts to reduce shared-use conflicts from adding pickleball lines to the courts. The JSHS is modifying its math placement procedures to allow for parent input and has updated the attendance policy to better support students and their families. The policy committee’s prior and current practices are not in compliance with Indiana open door law. The 2026-2027 school calendar was again set without parent input. 

Agenda with links to board documents

Topic Timestamps (YouTube Meeting Recording)

  • 1:15 Recognition of Indiana Repertory Theater’s Young Playwrights 
  • 6:12 Special Education presentation
  • 36:07 JSHS presentation
  • 44:03 Math placement process update
  • 48:14 Public Comments on calendar and pickleball lines
  • 54:42 Consent Agenda
  • 55:51 Debate on Robert’s Rules
  • 1:02:24 Calendar 2026-2027 vote without parent input
  • 1:12:31 Inaccurate minutes passed with 4-3 vote
  • 1:21:38 JSHS attendance policy revised
  • 1:39:41 Policy D175 board staff communication approved
  • 1:52:38 Discussion of MOU with city to add pickleball lines to tennis courts
  • 2:16:31 GO Bond Hearing and Approval
  • 2:21:59 Board reports and discussion on policy committee not following open door law

The following is my summary of the public school board meeting, not the official meeting minutes. My personal thoughts and opinions are given in italics and represent my own views which do not necessarily reflect those of any other member of the school board. I identify myself as Mumford in the summary but use first person when describing my personal thoughts and opinions.

0:30 Austin apologized to those who showed up for the work session at 5pm because she had not shared about canceling it.

0:45 There was a moment of silence for those who have sacrificed for our nation in honor of Veterans Day.

1:15 Lisa Mills, JSHS English teacher, recognized the achievements of students in the Indiana Repertory Theater’s Young Playwrights contest. West Lafayette students have participated for the past three years. The first year they had two finalists. Last year a sophomore won, and this year seven students reached the semi-finals. Chad Rodgers, JSHS principal, recognized Randy Studt, JSHS German teacher, for receiving a certificate of merit from the Association of German teachers.

6:12 An update on Special Education was presented by Stephanie Qualio who has been serving as Director of Special Education for three months. Her office is in the old central office building by the Happy Hollow building. The essential skills program was moved to the Intermediate School, allowing for better integration of students with special needs. Through a grant the district will acquire two robots to support students with autism. Qualio shared that these robots focus on social-emotional learning and come with embedded curriculum to aid teachers. Paraprofessionals participated in behavior management and curriculum integration training, tailored to address the challenges they face daily. Additionally, Qualio outlined plans to establish a special education parent study group to enhance communication and collaboration with families. This group aims to create a more supportive environment for parents navigating special education processes. I believe these initiatives represent a significant step forward in addressing concerns. 

36:07 An update on the Jr./Sr. High School was presented by Principal Rodgers. The SAT average for 11th graders remains among the highest in the state. Ten students achieved finalist status for National Merit Scholars which Rodgers said was extraordinary and rare. The school is implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to address students’ needs proactively with the goal of solving problems before they escalate. He emphasized the value of peer coaching and instructional rounds as a way to foster collaboration among teachers. These rounds are not tied to evaluations or scores but focus on creating opportunities for teachers to observe and learn from one another. The goal is to showcase the excellent practices happening within the school and promote professional development through in-house experiences, enabling teachers to grow by sharing ideas and techniques.

44:03 Rodgers said that he has been working to address concerns about the math placement process, even before he officially began this summer. He has worked closely with the math department during this transition and values their commitment to prioritizing what is best for our students. He emphasized the importance of teacher recommendations while also allowing families to have a voice in that recommendation. He said that if the placement doesn’t work, we’ll address it and find a solution tailored to each student. There have been many complaints about the math placement process over the past decade. I appreciate Rodger’s efforts to improve the process and allow parents to have input.  

48:14 Communication from the audience (those who had signed up before the meeting began):

  • Becky Creech (science teacher at JSHS) began by expressing gratitude for being included in the calendar process. She has served on the calendar discussion group for 8 years. She acknowledged the strong opinions surrounding the school calendar and hears questions and concerns at the grocery store, football games, and at her extended family gatherings. She said that parents can not have input on the calendar because “teachers and administrators understand what is best for the education of all our students. We are the educational professionals you have hired and trusted to teach your students.” She acknowledged the inevitability of differing opinions on the calendar and emphasized that, as a parent herself, she ensures the parental perspective is represented in calendar decisions.
  • Gabrielle Kramer (parent and tennis alum) advocated for maintaining the tennis courts exclusively for tennis and raised objections to adding pickleball lines to school tennis courts, citing noise concerns and disruptions to competitive tennis. She said that our community needs more tennis courts, not fewer. She said that adding pickleball lines would be a detriment to the tennis program’s integrity. She said that the city benefits from the school tennis courts by using them for parks and recreation and should contribute to redoing the tennis courts without putting requirements for pickleball lines on the courts.

54:42 The board was asked to approve the consent agenda items:

Wang motioned to move the calendar off the consent agenda and Mumford seconded it. The consent agenda was voted on without the 2026-2027 school calendar. 

Voted 7 out of 7

55:51 Austin asked Wang to discuss why he motioned to remove the 2026-2027 School Calendar from the consent agenda. Wang suggested that we first need a motion and a second for the calendar agenda item before starting the discussion. Austin said that there is no need to have a motion and second. Witt called Wang’s suggestion “ridiculous.” Wang said that the board needs to follow the correct procedures. Austin suggested that Wang must mean that he wants to revise the agenda. Wang explained that the agenda does not need to be revised and that his point is just that each new item needs a motion and second before discussion begins. Austin and Witt strongly disagreed. This exchange persisted for over five minutes. Wang did not back down and Austin finally agreed to allow Wang to make the motion. Wang was correct. When no other motion is on the table, a motion to consider the next topic on the agenda is required. After the vote to approve the consent agenda, there was no topic under discussion and so a motion and a second is required. It is worth noting that under Robert’s Rules and in nearly every other school district in the state, removing an item from the consent agenda does not require a second. If a single board member requests an item be removed from the consent agenda, it happens. However, our school district’s policy 0166.1 mandates that two board members must agree to remove an item. This allowed the board leadership to push items through without discussion during the 6-year period (2016 – 2022) when the board had 6 PAC members and only 1 non-PAC member. While this approach is no longer effective now that our board has more than one non-PAC member, our board should still revise this policy to follow Robert’s Rules allowing any board member to remove an item from the consent agenda. From there, a motion and a second are required to begin discussion on each removed item, in the same way as for other agenda items. This approach would ensure that all voices on the board are heard, even in 6 to 1 vote situations. The board president’s role is to facilitate balanced and inclusive discussions, working with the board as a collective entity rather than privileging the views of some board members over others.

1:02:24 Wang motioned to approve the calendar and Austin seconded it. Austin quickly called for a vote and then laughed at Mumford when she asked for discussion. Mumford said that she will vote no on the school calendar because there was no community input in its development. She noted that the administration made several substantial changes to the school calendar over the past few years that affect families and said that parents should have input. For example, the fall break was extended from two days to four and it no longer aligns with the TSC fall break, creating challenges for students attending GLCA.

Wang motioned to table the calendar and refer it to a committee that includes all stakeholders and Mumford seconded it. 

Voted 3 out of 7 (Witt, Schott, Marley, and Austin opposed) to table the calendar

My understanding is that the calendar committee consists of administrators and one teacher. Our school district has never allowed community input on the school calendar and I do not understand why our school leaders have been so opposed to listening to parents before making decisions.

Voted 6 out of 7 (Mumford opposed) to approve the 2026-2027 school calendar

1:12:31 The board revisited the Minutes of the September 16, 2024 Regular Meeting that had been tabled at the October meeting. Wang had submitted revisions to the minutes to correct inaccuracies. Witt said, “I continue to remind the board that minutes are documentation, a recording of actions taken by a board. Nothing more, nothing less. They are intentionally not a transcript or exhaustive summary of every word said by each person. The words are not intended to be persuasive nor should they promote or defend any position, individual member or group of members. Minutes are neutral.” Witt seemed confused. Wang’s proposed revisions corrected the inaccuracies in motions and votes and reorganized them to align with the meeting’s actual sequence. Wang’s proposed changes did not suggest any major edits or additions to the wording.

Wang pointed out that there are inaccuracies in the original minutes between timestamps 1:52:44 and 2:09:10, stating that his revisions address the incorrectly recorded motions and votes. Austin responded that “small procedural errors” do not invalidate the board’s actions. She emphasized that “the minutes are neutral and only reflect actions taken by the board.” Wang reiterated that his comment is only about the error in the minutes document itself, not about the board’s actions. The minutes contain errors in the motions and votes and need to be corrected to accurately reflect what occurred in the meeting. It is wrong for the majority to use their power to try to rewrite history by approving inaccurate minutes. This reminds me of the February 2023 meeting (6:31) when Austin produced minutes that inaccurately claimed that she had received a 7-0 vote for her board leadership position rather than the 4-3 vote that she had actually received. Austin argued for recording the inaccurate vote count by saying: “I believe that creating a record of division, a paper trail of times when the board has disagreed, will be a divisive force in the board and won’t serve our students or staff.”

Voted 4 out of 7 (Yin, Wang, and Mumford opposed) 

1:20:10 Austin asked the policy committee to discuss policy C200 on bullying. In October, Austin stated that a vote on the revised C200 policy would occur during the November meeting. The revised policy has not been shared with the public. It remains unclear why she is now referring the policy to the committee. The policy should be revised to mandate that administrators notify parents by the end of the day when they become aware of a potential bullying incident.

1:20:55 Austin referenced policy 0167 and asked Mumford to confirm that she will attend the scheduled meeting with legal counsel and herself. Mumford confirmed that she would be there. In addition to Austin, Marley unexpectedly showed up at the meeting. It seemed their primary objective was to try to stop me from writing school board meeting summaries.

1:21:38 Rodgers presented updates to the JSHS attendance policy, which aim to reduce tardiness and absenteeism while focusing on proactive engagement with families. The changes included distinguishing between excused and exempt absences, clarifying the definition of truancy, modifying the order of truancy consequences, and allowing greater flexibility for unique community situations, such as educational trips or competitions. Additionally, the policy emphasized enhanced use of Skyward for streamlined attendance reporting, which will begin next year. Mumford expressed gratitude for implementing changes that parents had been requesting for years. She inquired whether students will be marked absent if they leave the school for lunch. Rodgers explained that students are marked absent if they leave during lunch, solely to track whether they are in the building. Parents are required to check students out for lunch because it is not an open campus. However, lunch absences are not reported to the state and they will no longer result in any consequences for the student. This is great! Parents have been frustrated with the attendance policy. These are significant changes that will not only provide better support but also create a more parent- and student-friendly approach. 

1:39:41 Policy D175 on Board Staff Communication was presented by Witt, who serves on the policy committee. She explained that the policy is similar to the previous policy with minimal changes. Witt said that the board has sufficient information to vote. Mumford motioned to table the policy until the response from legal counsel is shared with the board. She referenced a discussion at the policy committee meeting regarding the distinction between policies and administrative guidelines with a request to legal counsel to provide clarification. Witt said there were no questions related to Policy D175 referred to legal counsel. Wang disagreed and said that there was a question and that they received a response from legal counsel on D175. However, it was not shared with the rest of the board. Wang seconded Mumford’s motion to table policy D175. 

Voted 3 out of 7 (Witt, Schott, Marley, and Austin opposed) to table the policy

Mumford said that this document reads more like an administrative guideline than a policy. Austin asked her to explain why she doesn’t support the previous policy recommended by Neola or this proposed policy by CCHA. Mumford said that the original Neola policy required that official communication related to work responsibilities from staff to the board happen only through the superintendent. However, the prior school board revised the policy to forbid “all communication” from staff members to board members. She emphasized that staff should not be discouraged or feel uncomfortable interacting with board members. Mumford said that maintaining a clear chain of command is essential and should be reinforced through training and guidelines, but argued against any policy that outright limits communication. Mumford asked for a more open and supportive approach. Yin said she was told about this policy when she was first elected to the board and was told not to communicate with staff. When I was a teacher in our district, I was told that teachers should not interact with school board members due to this policy. Some board members were told that they are not allowed to volunteer in the schools. I am concerned about the chilling effect this policy has had. We should instead be fostering positive and productive staff-board interactions.

Voted 5 out of 7 (Mumford opposed and Yin abstained)

1:52:36 The proposed tennis court MOU with the city focused on adding pickleball lines to four tennis courts. The city pledged $750,000 toward the project, contingent on the dual-use design. This will not interfere with the high school tennis schedule as they will have priority on the courts. Community feedback expressed concerns about noise and reduced availability for community members to play tennis. Yin suggested exploring alternative locations for the pickleball courts, such as the old tennis courts at Happy Hollow, instead of using the HS tennis courts. Greiner said that the city’s contribution of $750,000 will only happen if we include four pickleball courts. He said the board has not decided what to do with the Happy Hollow site. Yin suggested exploring other funding sources from donations and naming rights. Joel Strode, athletic director, said that all 10 tennis courts would still be used for tennis and only the 4 southern most courts would be dual courts.

Larry Oates, president of the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission, emphasized the strong and collaborative relationship between the school board and the city, which he noted is rare in many areas. He highlighted past examples where he used his budget to support the school district. He said that the pickleball courts are different and change can be hard, but stressed the importance of providing amenities that serve the broader community. There was some confusion between the city and the administration regarding whether the four pickleball courts would occupy two or four tennis courts. Greiner suggested consulting with the coaches to determine the best approach for the tennis program. I understand the appeal of expanding recreational offerings, but I share concerns about maintaining the quality and availability of tennis facilities for our students. Greiner sent an email to parents on Nov 22 providing a revised placement of the pickleball courts so the pickleball lines do not overlap with the tennis lines.

2:16:31 GO Bond Hearing and Resolutions: Memo, Final Official Statement, Master Continuing Disclosure Undertaking, Excerpts of Minutes, Affidavit of Publication, Agreement for Services.
The board conducted a public hearing and approved resolutions for the General Obligation Bond ensuring necessary funding for upcoming projects and compliance with financial regulations. 

Voted 7 out of 7 

2:18:41 Greiner gave the superintendent’s report. The certified Average Daily Membership (ADM) for October was 2,185 students which includes the children of staff who live outside the district. We have an additional 151 students who transferred from TSC. Greiner said that average class sizes are: kindergarten 18-21, first grade 20-22, second grade 21-22, third grade 20-23, fourth grade 21-22, fifth grade 22-24, and sixth grade 21-23. He congratulated WLES for receiving the National Blue Ribbon Award. Greiner attended a recognition ceremony in Washington D.C. along with Sara Delaney, WLES principal, and Jeaneen Benhart, WLES teacher. Delaney plans to present their experience at the December meeting. He congratulated Yin and Austin for being re-elected to the board as well as newly elected board members David Purpura and George Lyle. He thanked outgoing members, Marley and Schott, for their service. Greiner said that he appreciates Beau Scott and Maria Koliantz for their interest in serving the community on the board. For your information, I list the school board voting results by neighborhood below. The full precinct report is provided by the election board. 

University Farm (Precincts: Wabash 6, 10, 14)

Yin 631

Purpura 619

Scott 568

Lyle 502

Austin 502

Koliantz 463

Amberleigh Village (Precinct: Wabash 9)

Yin 241

Scott 185

Austin 180

Purpura 168

Lyle 156

Koliantz 150

Camelback and Sycamore Neighborhood (Precinct: Wabash 12)

Austin 177

Yin 163

Lyle 141

Scott 135

Purpura 133

Koliantz 118

Bar Barry Heights (Precinct: Wabash 13)

Purpura 349

Austin 347

Koliantz 323

Lyle 318

Yin 297

Scott 262

Near Campus (Precincts: Wabash 21, 23, 24, 34)

Yin 300

Austin 239

Scott 207

Koliantz 205

Lyle 158

Purpura 145

New Chauncy (Precincts: Wabash 25, 28)

Austin 479

Purpura 448

Yin 429

Lyle 424

Scott 414

Koliantz 379

Glenwood Heights, Park Ridge, North Wabash Shores (Precinct Wabash 26)

Yin 264

Austin 259

Scott 241

Koliantz 241

Lyle 239

Purpura 232

Hills and Dales, Northwestern Heights (Precinct: Wabash 27)

Purpura 406

Austin 387

Lyle 381

Koliantz 341

Yin 325

Scott 317

Happy Hollow, South Wabash Shores (Precinct: Wabash 32)

Purpura 404

Lyle 375

Austin 368

Yin 335

Koliantz 310

Scott 306

Westminster Village, Plaza Park (Precinct: Wabash 33)

Austin 279

Purpura 246

Lyle 232

Koliantz 224

Yin 148

Scott 136

2:21:13 Cronk gave the financial report: September Financial Report – Funds, October Financial Report – Funds, Credit Card Statement, Claims Docket Object Breakdown. Claims totaled $4,445,068, covering regular district expenses and those for the Wabash Valley Education Center. Year-end preparations are underway to ensure smooth financial transitions into 2025.

2:21:59 Board Reports:

  • Mumford said that the Public School Foundation of Tippecanoe County concluded their fall grant cycle, and congratulations are in order for Mr. Roe, a fourth grade teacher who received a grant for his project titled STEM Coding with TinkRworks Tech-a-Sketch. The fall grant reception is Thursday, November 21st.
  • Wang mentioned that he serves on the policy committee alongside Witt. He expressed a desire for the committee meeting agenda to be shared publicly to keep the community informed about which policies will be discussed and to encourage public attendance.
  • Witt said that the policy committee recently met to discuss five policies, including G450 and H200, which address naming rights. However, she noted the need for access to policy C475 and requested that Austin provide it to her and Wang. This approach of having the board president act as a gatekeeper for information is inappropriate. Every board member should have access to the same information. Witt said that her view regarding community participation in policy committee meetings is different from Wang’s. She also said that the board-teacher committee met and discussed updates on support staffing, TAG timelines, and Vector training. Witt and Austin have consistently resisted adhering to Indiana’s open door law. This issue has been brought up in several past school board meetings including: March 2023 (7:31) and November 2023 (1:42:40) and yet they continue to refuse to follow the law. I asked the Indiana School Board Association to explain how Indiana’s open door law applies to our policy committee. Our prior and current practices are not in compliance.
  • Schott said the West Lafayette Schools Education Foundation is hosting a scholarship information night in collaboration with the high school counseling office on December 2nd at 6:30 PM in the LGI room, focusing on scholarships offered through the foundation. Also they will assist with a career and trade fair for juniors and seniors on December 5th. He said he was not able to attend community council. Austin restricts substitutions at committee meetings to board leadership only, preventing other board members from stepping in if someone is unavailable. This approach is unnecessarily restrictive.
  • Marley announced that this would be his final meeting and that he will not attend the December meeting, marking the end of his 16 years of service on the board.

Future Meetings (calendar link)

  • Public Work Session, if needed – Monday, December 9th at 5:00pm at Happy Hollow LGI Room
  • Public School Board Regular Meeting – Monday, December 9th at 6:00pm at Happy Hollow LGI Room

This document is my summary of the public school board meeting, not the official meeting minutes. My personal thoughts and opinions are given in italics and represent my own views which do not necessarily reflect those of any other member of the school board. I identify myself as Mumford in the summary but use first person when describing my personal thoughts and opinions. Previous agendas, minutes, and audio recordings can be found at the WLCSC website.

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