The School City of East Chicago Board of Trustees on Sept. 9 advanced a package of policy changes to second reading, including updates to eligibility age requirements, terms of office and references to state assessments.

Trustees voted to move the following policies to second reading: board compensation (PO 0144.1), election and appointment of members and eligibility to serve (PO 0142), term (PO 0142.1), board of finance (PO 155.1) and school accountability (PO 2600). The superintendent said the updates mainly align policy language with recent state changes and modern assessment names — for example, replacing legacy references to ISTEP with current assessment names such as ILEARN where appropriate. Board leadership clarified that, despite statutory change options, the board will retain its current board compensation structure rather than adopt a new 10% formula tied to teacher pay.

Trustees also discussed extending board terms from three to four years to reflect current practice, and the board of finance policy was updated to reflect current practices without substantive changes.

Why it matters: Policy changes set governance rules for eligibility, terms and accountability references; moving to second reading advances the items toward final adoption while providing an opportunity for public input.

What's next: The board will consider final adoption on subsequent votes following the required notice period and second reading procedures.