School Town of Munster board approves IT services agreement with Town of Munster

The School Town of Munster board of trustees voted 5-0 to approve an IT services agreement that will have the district's information technology department provide IT services to the Town of Munster.

Board members and administrators said the agreement, negotiated with the town manager and town attorney, is intended to be mutually beneficial and could generate revenue the district would use to add IT staff. "We will be hiring additional staff based on the revenue that we'll be gathering through this partnership that will allow us to not only meet the town's needs, but better serve the students and staff of Munster," said Doctor Heller.

Administration had recommended approval of the agreement as presented. Board members praised the work of staff who participated in the negotiations and said district and town attorneys had addressed the board's concerns during a prior work session. Board member Smith seconded the motion; the transcript does not identify the member who made the initial motion by full name. After brief discussion, the board voted unanimously to approve the agreement.

The board did not provide contract cost, start date, or specific staffing timelines during the meeting; those details were not specified in the discussion on the record. The board noted that the district and town had been in talks for more than a year and that attorneys from both sides and the town manager had been involved in drafting the agreement.

During closing business, the board announced an executive session scheduled for March 6 and the next regular board meeting on March 10.

Votes at a glance - Motion: "Approve the IT services agreement with the Town of Munster as presented." Seconded by: Smith. Outcome: approved. Vote tally: 5-0.