Key Takeaways: The board received the first reading of the proposed transfer policy, with a goal of having it ready for a vote at the March 9 regular meeting, and scheduled a work session to discuss revisions to the proposed transfer policy on Monday, March 2 at 6:00 pm. The board approved hiring the same communications consultant used for the successful 2023 referendum (80% approval) to begin pre-referendum community engagement to support a potential increase in the referendum rate with a vote in November 2026.
Agenda with links to board documents
Topic Timestamps: YouTube Recording
- 0:30 Update from WLES and technology
- 23:29 Public Comment on Part-Time Enrollment for Homeschool Residents and the Transfer Policy
- 30:35 Consent Agenda
- 31:36 Pre-Referendum and Referendum Communication Consultant Hired
- 1:42:01 WLJSH Chiller Replacement Architect/Engineering Proposal Approved
- 1:44:32 Summer School 2026 Indiana Academy Online
- 1:50:52 Summer STEM Camp Approved
- 1:52:03 Board Meeting Calendar July-December 2026
- 1:52:10 Approved Policy B150 Organizational Meetings, Board of Finance and Committees, Policy D425.1 General Guidelines for Requesting Additional Compensation, Policy F250 Travel Expenses, Policy F325 Debt Management Policy
- 2:03:08 Policy G350 Audio, Video and Digital Recording on School Property and of School Meetings Tabled
- 2:13:59 Approved Policy G450 Advertisements, Publications and Naming Rights, Policy G475 Prohibition of Unmanned Aircraft (Drones)
- 2:29:20 Discussion on Transfer Policy C125 Admission to the Corporation (Legal Settlement)
- 2:51:29 Board Member Committee Assignments
- 3:03:21 Superintendent Report
- 3:13:50 Board Reports
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.
0:39 The regular meeting began with West Lafayette Elementary School Principal Sara Delaney sharing an update on WLES, followed by Technology Director Brandon Hamilton sharing an update.
23:29 Communication from the Audience (those who had signed up before the meeting began)
- Carissa Bartholomew, homeschool parent, urged the school board to allow home school students who live in the district to enroll part time in one or more academic courses. She said families have received mixed messages and faced barriers to part time-enrollment. She said that the district has an opportunity to show it values all resident students even though part-time enrollment is not required by the state, and noted other local districts allow part-time enrollment and sometimes extracurricular participation (LSC accepts part-time enrollment of in-district students. TSC allows part-time enrollment, including out-of-district students). She also said part-time enrollment could benefit WLCSC financially through state funding, would not be a significant burden given available capacity and enrollment goals, and emphasized that families want these options within West Lafayette because they are invested in the community and want district educational opportunities while maintaining homeschooling flexibility.
- Kimberly Lundgren, parent, urged the board to pair short-term efforts to pass the referendum and maintain programs with policies that protect the district’s long-term health. She said residents’ sacrifices to live in-district need to be acknowledged and safeguarded in order to build strong support for the referendum. Her reading of the proposed transfer policy does not adequately preserve the value of living in-district. She said that families that live out of the district should face significant uncertainty about admission. A true lottery for all applicants, other than currently admitted transfer students, would increase the value of living in the district. The lottery should be advertised broadly to increase demand. She said that finding housing in-district ultimately reflects family priorities, and emphasized that families who prioritize education and pay higher taxes should expect the school board to protect that choice. She concluded that a more rigorous lottery policy would encourage families to live in-district, strengthen long-term tax revenue and property values, and create a stronger pro-school voting environment while supporting near-term funding goals.
30:35 Consent Agenda:
- Agenda for the February 9, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
- Minutes of the January 12, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
- Minutes of the January 12, 2026 Annual Finance Meeting
- Minutes of the January 29, 2026 Work Session
- Personnel Report
- Accounts Payable
Voted 7 out of 7
31:36 Dehler PR Pre-Referendum and Referendum Communications: Greiner said that if the board pursues an early referendum renewal, it will need strong communication strategies grounded in community input, including multiple meetings and surveying to understand sentiment and explain the issue clearly. He emphasized that changes in tax credits mean a rate change does not necessarily mean the district is asking for more money, and he said clear communication about that distinction will be critical.
Greiner recommended re-engaging Dehler PR, the communications firm used during the 2023 referendum campaign that passed with over 80 percent approval, to support pre-referendum engagement and a potential referendum information campaign. Dehler outlined an approach that starts with research and community engagement to gather feedback and shape a ballot question, then moves into providing factual, unbiased information about what a yes vote and a no vote would mean. He described outreach that includes meetings with staff, parents, community groups, and opinion leaders, and he said an independent public opinion survey can provide statistically valid data to guide messaging. He also described the importance of a political action committee to advocate for the referendum, while the district remains a trusted source for facts, and he said board members play a key role by listening to community concerns, sharing accurate information, and participating in community-facing efforts as appropriate.
Voted 7 out of 7
The school district conducted a survey about how the transfer policy would affect support for the proposed early referendum renewal. The survey produced a convenience sample of 640 responses from in-district residents with 56 staff responses and 440 parent responses (other residents are under-represented in the survey). In response to the questions about support for an increased referendum rate, 43% of residents said they would vote YES if the district continues to accept transfer students while 57% of residents said they would vote YES if the district were to stop accepting new transfer students.
1:42:01 WLJSH Chiller Replacement Architect/Engineering Proposal: Voted 7 out of 7
1:44:32 Summer School 2026: Roth said the board packet included information on high school summer school and the dates for required summer reading remediation at WLES. She also said the packet included a contract with Indiana Online Academy (IOA), which the district uses as a last-resort option when other free course options are not available. Roth explained the district will seek reimbursement for courses purchased through IOA, with the reimbursement rate finalized after schools statewide submit their requests, and she asked the board to approve the contract so IOA courses can be offered to students when needed.
Voted 7 out of 7
1:50:52 Summer STEM Camp: Voted 7 out of 7
1:52:03 Board Meeting Calendar July-December 2026: Voted 7 out of 7
1:52:10 Policy B150 Organizational Meetings, Board of Finance and Committees: Voted 7 out of 7
1:57:10 Policy D425.1 General Guidelines for Requesting Additional Compensation: Greiner requested the policy as a short-term add-on to keep the district aligned with its current teacher contract.
Voted 7 out of 7
1:59:04 Policy F250 Travel Expenses: Voted 7 out of 7
2:01:29 Policy F325 Debt Management Policy: Voted 7 out of 7
2:03:08 Policy G350 Audio, Video and Digital Recording on School Property and of School Meetings: Witt and Purpura said the revisions were intended to make the language more collaborative. Mumford said the revisions were not to the district’s current policy, but to an older version CCHA had sent more than a year earlier that was then edited, and she moved to table approval and send the policy back to the policy committee to determine whether any updates to WLCSC’s actual policy were needed rather than approving language that did not match what was in place. Mumford said many of the suggested revisions were already included in our current policy. She asked that future legislative recommendations start with WLCSC’s existing policies rather than defaulting to older templates. (This policy was revised and approved in September 2024, 2:10:54.)
Voted 4 out of 7 to table (Austin, Lyle, and Witt opposed)
2:13:59 Policy G450 Advertisements, Publications and Naming Rights: Voted 7 out of 7
2:15:03 Policy G475 Prohibition of Unmanned Aircraft (Drones): Wang motioned to use CCHA’s original version, saying it more clearly stated the purpose of the policy, including safety and protecting student and staff privacy, and provided a stronger legal foundation by referencing FAA guidance. He added that the original language better covered school-sponsored programs and would put the district in a more defensible position if something happened, even off campus.
Voted 6 out of 7 (Witt opposed)
2:26:26 Policy G500 Intellectual Property Ownership and Revenue:The policy was optional, and it was recommended that the board not approve it. No motion or second was made to approve the policy.
Yin asked about the timeline for adopting the transfer policy and said she wanted the recommended capacity and available seats to be shared. Mumford said she was concerned the policy would not be ready for a March vote since the policy committee would be discussing it February 25th and there were no plans for a full board discussion before March unless a work session was held. Greiner recommended scheduling a work session to allow the board to vote on the policy in March, and the board set it for March 2 at 6:00 pm.
Mumford asked for clarification on whether Indiana code requires the district, if it accepts new transfer students, to prioritize admitting household members, such as siblings, ahead of other applicants. Greiner confirmed there are legally defined priority categories and said Indiana code requires prioritizing household members, though that could be at a lower priority level than currently enrolled transfer students. Purpura said legal counsel advised the district that it must follow the legally defined priority categories and cannot add additional layers of preference, such as prioritizing students who participate in robotics or attended the district’s preschool over other transfer applicants. Purpura also said legal counsel advised that if the district were to officially close, even current transfer students could not remain, meaning all transfers would have to be removed. This represents a change from previous practice because fees can no longer be charged to families and transfer students will be included in the district’s ADM count.
I’ve not heard anyone on the board ever suggest that the district kick out our current transfer students. But there seem to be different opinions on how many new transfers students to accept. Over the past few years, every student TSC allowed to apply to transfer was accepted, leading to some grades being much larger than others. My view is that we should only accept transfers into grades where there is excess capacity and not accept transfers into our grades that are already too large (current grades 4, 7, 10, and 11 are all over capacity and despite that, additional transfer students were accepted into these grades last summer).
2:51:29 Board Member Committee Assignments: Austin said the mayor appointed her to the Redevelopment Commission. She noted that former board member Brad Marley previously served as a voting appointee, but when she was appointed, the role was changed to a nonvoting position, which is consistent with the TSC board appointee. Austin said she recommends that Mumford be changed to Community Council and Wang to Public Schools Foundation of Tippecanoe County. She recommends leaving all the rest the same as last year.
Mumford motioned to add Yin as a second WL board representative to the West Lafayette Schools Education Foundation, noting that she had asked to serve and that the bylaws allow up to three representatives. Witt had recommended at January’s board meeting that having two representatives would be beneficial and Yin had said she would like to serve. Austin said it has been the board’s practice not to appoint a family member of someone already serving on a board, and she noted her understanding that Yin has a family member on the foundation board. Yin verified that her son is a student body officer who shares updates at these meetings. Mumford asked if this was part of the by-laws and Austin said no but that part of the reason we have students in those positions is so that they can learn leadership and it’s hard to learn leadership with your parent sitting next to you. Austin then motioned to appoint Wang and asked if he would accept. Wang said that it is complicated because he already serves on the policy committee, as board vice president, and on the public schools foundation. He said, “personally, I prefer somebody else to serve there. But again, as I said, I’m flexible.” Austin responded asking him if he was willing to serve. Wang said okay but he would prefer someone else.
Mumford said the discussion was becoming divisive and embarrassing, and she argued that Yin’s family situation should be a private matter between Yin and her son, not something the board should weigh in on. She said the board’s actions sent a message of unwillingness to let others serve, noting that Yin had asked to serve and was turned down, and she objected to putting Wang in the middle when others had offered to take the role. Austin responded to Mumford, saying that “collaboration doesn’t mean you always get your way.” She added that she was comfortable leaving only one person on the Foundation board. However, if the board insisted on appointing two members, she said Wang would be an acceptable second choice and asked the board to vote on the committee list with Wang included as the second Foundation representative.
Voted 5 out of 7 (Mumford and Purpura opposed)
The discussion returned to the motion involving Yin. Purpura said he understood the desire to appoint an additional board representative to the education foundation but raised concern about a potential conflict if two members of the same family served at the same time. He noted Yin’s son is a senior and would be stepping off midyear, and he suggested waiting so her son could complete his term before adding Yin. Austin said Wang could step down midyear. Yin clarified that when she volunteered to serve, she had not considered her son’s role because she views him as independent. She said she first learned he attended foundation meetings after receiving a photo of him speaking at a meeting, and emphasized she volunteered because she felt able to connect with a large part of our community, including alumni communications, and wanted to contribute. Yin said she is fine not serving at this time, adding that she would wait until her son graduates in May and revisit the decision then. After the meeting, it was confirmed that Yin’s son is not a member of the foundation board and does not have voting rights, but serves in an ex officio capacity because of his student council role, which typically involves providing updates at the beginning of meetings and then leaves. I felt the way this unfolded reflected a lack of sensitivity toward both Wang and Yin, and came across as disrespectful and unkind given how much they do to serve our community.
3:03:21 Superintendent Report
3:03:46 CFO Report
3:13:50 Board Reports
3:21:20 The meeting was adjourned
Upcoming Public Meetings in the Central Office Board Room, located at 3061 Benton Street:
- Work Session: Monday, March 2, 2026 at 6pm
- Regular Board Meeting: March 9, 2026, at 6pm
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.
Dacia Mumford 