Key Takeaways: Indiana’s new accountability system places greater emphasis on high school attendance. The new 94% attendance threshold affects the JSHS accountability score but the JSHS is not planning to adjust attendance policies or practices. For state reporting purposes, students are counted as present if they attend school for even one period. There was a discussion about adding language to school policy that would restrict school board officers from speaking on behalf of the board without authorization from the board. In the past inappropriate messages from the board president, including an email sent to all parents in the district and a Q&A posted to the school district website, were done without other board members’ prior knowledge and there was agreement that this would not happen in the future. Greiner shared that the district will consider allowing homeschool students to enroll part-time. A recommendation is expected by December 2026 and, depending on the input received during the review, part-time students could be accepted for the 2027-2028 school year.
Agenda with links to board documents
Topic Timestamps: YouTube Recording
- 0:30 Update from JSHS principal
- 23:00 Update from special education director
- 58:03 Public Comment on tax abatements and school funding
- 58:03 Consent Agenda
- 1:00:48 Approval of community survey for referendum
- 1:03:06 Approval to rebid JSHS roofing project
- 1:05:14 Approved Policy B100 Board Authority and Philosophy
- 1:23:19 Approved Policy F125 Purchasing Procedures and Capital Assets
- 1:24:23 Approved Policy G350 Audio, Video and Digital Recording on School Property and of School Meetings
- 1:34:05 Approved Policy H100 School Visitors and Parent & Family Engagement
- 1:36:59 Approved Policy H125 Corporation-Support Organizations
- 1:38:26 Approved Policy H150 Public Records
- 1:40:51 Approved Policy H225 Public Comments and Concerns
- 1:54:34 Superintendent Update on Part-Time Enrollment for Homeschool Residents
- 1:58:04 CFO Report
- 1:59:12 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 – Principal Chad Rodgers presented the West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School (JSHS) update. He explained that Indiana’s new accountability system is different from the previous letter grade model and is especially different at the high school level. Students now receive individual scores based on grade-level measures, with seventh and eighth grade scores tied largely to ILEARN performance, ninth and tenth grade scores tied to being on track for graduation credits, and eleventh and twelfth grade scores tied to diploma types and graduation seals. Rodgers explained that additional success indicators also affect scores, including high school credit in junior high, academic progress, attendance, Biology ECA, PSAT benchmarks, college and career credits, SAT, work-based learning, and college and career courses. He said the accountability model has changed several times since it was first released, but JSHS staff began working with it in February and calculated scores for current tenth graders during professional development. Rodgers said teachers were receptive, even though the school’s priorities do not always align with how the state measures school performance.
Rodgers emphasized that attendance is a concern because students must attend 94% of the school year to receive that success indicator, regardless of whether absences are excused by a doctor’s note or parent call. Rodgers said that currently only about 60% to 70% of students at the JSHS meet the 94% attendance threshold, which means many students would not earn that point and this would negatively affect the school’s overall score.
Rodgers clarified that students do not face negative consequences if a student falls below the state’s 94% attendance threshold. The JSHS will continue following its normal attendance policy, including conversations or documentation requirements after 10 parent-called absences, but explained that the state’s accountability system treats attendance strictly. Every absence counts in reaching the 94% attendance standard.
Yin asked whether the state’s attendance measure differentiates between a student missing one class period and missing the entire school day. Rodgers explained that the JSHS tracks attendance by class period, but for state attendance reporting, a student is counted as present if they are at school for at least one period that day. He noted that our district had been reporting attendance to the state incorrectly, reporting students as absent for the full day if they missed any part of the day. Rodgers said the error has now been fixed, but reporting to the state will not update until June.
Rodgers did an excellent job clarifying how attendance is recorded and reported, while also identifying attendance practices that need improvement. The previous administration applied attendance rules inconsistently, which created unnecessary stress for some students and families. I appreciated that Rodgers emphasizes the importance of attendance while also recognizing that some absences are necessary and that the school needs to work with families. It was also helpful to understand that, for state reporting purposes, if a student is at school for even part of the day, the state counts that student as attending.
23:00 – Stephanie Qualio shared an update on special education. Qualio reported that 249 students in the district have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), 189 students have a 504 plan (provides accommodations), and 230 students have an Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) plan. She explained that an MTSS plan, which some may know as an RTI, includes students receiving intervention services in areas such as reading, math, or behavior. The Greater Lafayette Area Special Services (GLASS) is dissolving at the end of the school year and WLCSC has been working to create its own special education department. She said the district will continue with two speech language pathologists, including one who is contracted through Purdue, and will finalize an updated Purdue contract. Qualio also described staffing plans that include a school psychologist, student and family services specialist, administrative assistant, and a part-time secretary. She said the district will continue partnering with LSC for preschool at Linnwood, alternative education programs, and some related service professionals, while also continuing to work with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to provide resources for blind and low-vision students.
58:03 Communication from the Audience (those who had signed up before the meeting began)
- Jason Anderson said he was speaking as a private citizen and not as a representative of any organization. He stated that property owners within the West Lafayette School Corporation are tired of referendums and rising property taxes. He urged the board to work with local government officials to abolish tax abatements and ensure large companies pay their fair share. He pointed to LaPorte, Indiana, where Microsoft agreed to pay full property taxes and 15% of the resulting revenue will go to LaPorte Community School Corporation for 20 years. Austin said that board members do not normally respond to public comments, but she had seen the information Anderson shared. Austin said that the school board had conversations with the local officials he mentioned and that this issue is on the board’s radar She expressed appreciation for him bringing it to her attention. This is the first time that I had heard that “the board” was talking with local government officials about reducing property tax abatements for companies. It is common for Austin to only inform some board members and exclude others.
1:00:48 Consent Agenda:
- Approval of the Agenda for the April 13, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
- Approval of the Minutes of the March 9, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
- Safe Harbor Before/After School Care Agreement Renewal
- West Lafayette Observatory User Agreement
- Personnel Report
- Accounts Payable
Voted 7 out of 7
1:01:10 Morris Leatherman Company Survey Agreement: Greiner brought forward a proposed agreement with the Morris Leatherman Company to conduct a community survey of about 400 West Lafayette residents. Greiner recommended that the board approve the agreement so the district could gather community feedback for future planning on the referendum.
Voted 7 out of 7
1:03:06 WLJSHS Summer 2026 Roofing Project Recommendation to Reject All Bids: Roth asked the board to reject all bids because Fanning Howey identified administrative irregularities in the bidding process. She said the project would be rebid, with a recommendation brought to the board in May, so the work could still begin during the summer as originally planned.
Voted 7 out of 7
1:05:14 Policy B100 Board Authority and Philosophy was brought to the board for approval. Yin supported the recommended revisions in paragraph four (in blue) which adds, “The Board exercises its authority only when acting as a legally convened body. Individual Board members have no authority to act on behalf of the Board except as expressly authorized by Board action.” She said that this would prevent situations where board members are left out of important communication. She recalled an instance where the board president (Witt) sent an email message to all parents in the district from “the school board” when nothing had been discussed or decided by the board and Yin was not informed in advance. Witt responded that similar language had been proposed as an addition to a different policy last year (September 2025 at 3:08:31 for Policy B125 Duties of the School Board) but the board rejected it (in a 4-3 vote).
Wang said that this additional sentence would clarify how the school board is supposed to conduct business and would be beneficial to put in writing. Witt expressed concern that the proposed language could restrict board officers from carrying out their responsibilities. She noted that the board president signs teacher contracts and graduation diplomas, and that the board should not need to vote separately to authorize those actions. Yin responded that her understanding is that the board is required to vote to approve contracts before the board president is authorized to sign them, which is consistent with the proposed language. Witt clarified that her concern is that this language could be interpreted to mean that the board would have to vote to approve the contract and then vote again to direct the president to sign it. Mumford said that the proposed language does not seem to require a double vote for the president to sign a contract and recommended asking legal counsel to confirm the interpretation. It didn’t matter because that’s not really why the majority of the board is against adding this language.
Voted 3 out of 7 (Austin, Lyle, Purpura, and Witt opposed)
Paragraph 6 was approved with the language recommended by legal counsel, and the rest of the policy was also approved.
Voted 7 out of 7
Yin asked if the board could still agree that any board member, including an officer, would need board approval before sending a districtwide email or adding information to the school website. Similar situations, including emails sent from the school board without all board members even being informed should not happen. She recalled a Q&A that Witt posted to the school district website just before the 2022 election without other board members’ prior knowledge.
That Q&A posted to the school district website was a bad look for our schools. The first question posted on the website was “Is there a “slush fund” which came from transfer student monies that allowed school board members and staff to go to London on a trip?” The answer was over 900 words long, and confirmed that this did in fact happen and that some of the money came from transfer student tuition.
Witt said that the situations Yin referenced were from several years ago and said that she believes the board can grow and develop. Witt said that she understood Yin’s concern but again stated that her opinion is that this language does not need to be added to policy.
I agree with Witt that the school board is improving. Back when Yin was the only board member outside of the majority (the PAC) there were frequent abuse-of-power instances to silence Yin. That isn’t happening anymore. When Wang and I were first elected to the board, the public had no access to school board documents; everything was strictly confidential. Now, everything is available; links to the entire board packet are emailed out with the meeting agenda. Our school district never had a policy about transfer students which allowed the superintendent to admit as many transfer students as he wanted and to unilaterally decide which students to admit and which to deny. There were allegations of discrimination by the previous administration and many in our community are frustrated with our current administration’s approach of accepting every transfer request, regardless of the grade size. At the March 2026 meeting, the board adopted the district’s first transfer student policy which now requires a random drawing to select which transfer students are accepted and in the upcoming school year will only allow 24 new students to transfer into the district (as compared to more than twice that number in prior years). There have been many other positive changes to the school board. I am clearly in the minority on the board and so my vote typically has no influence on what the board does. But informing the public about what is going on by writing a summary of each board meeting has made a huge difference in what the board does.The public’s right to know is an essential check on government power.
1:23:19 Policy F125 Purchasing Procedures and Capital Assets:
Voted 7 out of 7
1:24:23 Policy G350 Audio, Video and Digital Recording on School Property and of School Meetings: After receiving feedback, the board voted to revise the wording from “24 hours prior” to “the school day prior” to better accommodate weekend situations for staff.
Voted 7 out of 7
1:34:05 Policy H100 School Visitors and Parent & Family Engagement: The board voted to revise the final bullet point on the last page from “Alexa” to “software and artificial intelligence tools,” and then approved the policy.
Voted 7 out of 7
1:36:59 Policy H125 Corporation-Support Organizations:
Voted 7 out of 7
1:38:26 Policy H150 Public Records:
Voted 7 out of 7
1:40:51 Policy H225 Public Comments and Concerns:
Voted 7 out of 7
1:42:30 Rescind old NEOLA Policies
Voted 7 out of 7
1:54:34 Superintendent Report: Greiner shared that the district plans to consider allowing homeschool students to enroll part-time in the district. He said that the review would not be ready for the start of the next school year. The district will seek input from staff and possibly students in the fall. The review will examine possible structures, expectations, and impacts on schools and programs, including accountability measures, graduation rates, ILEARN testing, funding, and participation in extracurricular and co-curricular activities. Greiner said that a recommendation is expected by December 2026 which will allow time to plan before scheduling begins for the 2027-2028 school year. Greiner recommended not making this a policy and instead addressing part-time student expectations and procedures in the student handbook, which the board approves each year. This is the approach used by TSC and LSC.
1:58:04 CFO Report
1:59:12 Board Reports
2:09:51 The meeting was adjourned
Upcoming Public Meetings in the Central Office Board Room, located at 3061 Benton Street:
- Regular Board Meeting: May 11, 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 