School City of East Chicago board reviews Feb. 11 agenda; discusses athletic donations, personnel moves and several contracts

The School City of East Chicago Board of Trustees on a February work session reviewed its Feb. 11 board meeting agenda and discussed a range of items including athletic donations and uniform policies, personnel transfers and separations, contract renewals for workers’ compensation services, memoranda of understanding with community partners and a strategic-planning contract.

The session, convened by Dr. Burnet, superintendent, covered matters the board is scheduled to act on at its Feb. 11 meeting and produced direction for staff and counsel rather than formal board votes.

Why it matters: The items reviewed touch on day‑to‑day operations (uniforms, sponsorships, vehicle tolls), personnel changes that affect payroll and assignments, and contractual obligations that could be subject to federal funding changes. Board members asked for more documentation and legal review before the consent agenda items are acted on at the regular meeting.

Athletics: donations, uniforms, banners and marquees

Dr. Burnet and Mr. Gordon, the district's director of athletics, told the board that a donation listed on the consent agenda is earmarked "for the athletic department." Gordon said the district provides uniforms and that teams cannot enter state athletic events without proper uniforms: "you cannot participate in a state athletic event without a uniform." He said many teams' uniforms are recycled on a roughly three‑year cycle, and that some items (warmups, jackets) may be passed down while shoes cannot be reused for hygiene reasons.

Board members asked how fundraising by coaches interacts with district property rules. The district said uniforms purchased under the Cardinal Athletics name become district property, though certain warmups and similar items may be allowed to remain with athletes. The board also discussed gym and field signage: most banners and scoreboard ties are treated as sponsorships and handled through the athletics account (ECA account), and the district is developing sponsorship guidelines and a process for what may be posted on school marquees. Dr. Burnet said a small committee has been formed to draft sponsorship guidelines.

Finance and claim docket questions

Board members reviewed items on the claim docket and asked for more detail on specific check numbers and line items. One trustee asked for an itemized invoice for check number referenced as "4204DD" (direct deposit). The board clerk was asked to re-send invoices; the clerk's email was noted as coming from Nayan Begum.

The board also discussed a small toll charge tied to a district vehicle, showing a photo of the vehicle and a likely infraction date of Jan. 22. Trustees discussed registering the vehicle for toll coverage (a window sticker) because the car had been used by multiple staff and prior superintendents; the board asked staff to follow up and resolve unpaid tolls and related fees.

Personnel: transfers, separations and reporting

Trustees asked for earlier notice of personnel changes that affect budgets. The personnel report reviewed transfers that move staff between levels (for example, Anthony Serna to the high school and Damien Askew to elementary assignments), and trustees asked that such changes be included in weekly updates prior to the personnel docket so the board can review budgetary impacts.

The board also discussed a pending termination where the superintendent had requested a resignation in lieu of termination; the district said no resignation letter had been received and that the personnel report will be amended to reflect a termination in the next posting.

Contracts, MOUs and legal review

Several contracts and memoranda of understanding were discussed and the board requested additional review or clarifying documentation prior to final action:

- JWF Specialty Company (workers' compensation administrative services renewal): The board confirmed this is the district's workman's compensation vendor (under Liberty Mutual). Trustees asked whether the contract had been reviewed by district counsel; staff said it historically came from the carrier's attorney and that they would forward the contract to the board's attorney for review before the Feb. 11 meeting.

- Lake County Foster Grandparents Program (MOU renewal): Administrators said the program (an AmeriCorps Seniors/AARP-like volunteer tutoring/support program) has operated at McKinley Elementary and been extended to other elementary schools. Trustees noticed inconsistent effective dates on different copies; staff said they would provide a clarifying statement and the signed, correct MOU to the board.

- Indiana University Northwest (IUN) athletics MOU: The board reviewed a renewal of a field-use agreement for IUN to use the high‑school soccer field. Mr. Gordon said the district's schedule takes precedence and that IUN had donated soccer shelters and benches valued at roughly $20,000 to the district. Trustees asked about field condition and whether a college team could be relocated to a middle school field if conflicts arose; staff replied the district schedule would be prioritized and that middle‑school facilities lack the infrastructure of the high school.

- Revolutionary Ed LLC (strategic planning consultant): The board reviewed a proposed contract for strategic planning. Trustees noted the timeline is "aggressive" and asked for flexibility in the contract end date; counsel and staff said they can amend timelines and that the contract was drafted using the district's standard agreement template.

Funding concern: Title funds and contract liability

Several trustees raised a recurring concern about the district's use of federal Title funds to pay consultants and contracts. Attorney Harris recommended adding language to agreements making them "subject to the availability of certain funding, including' title related funding." Staff said they will produce a list of current contracts funded by Title and consider notices to contractors if federal funding availability changes. Finance staff explained Title funding is distributed via periodic cash requests through the state; the district performs cash requests twice monthly and only requests funds for encumbered items within the cash period.

Next steps and board direction

Board members asked for the following before the Feb. 11 meeting: itemized invoices for the claim docket items called out by trustees, legal review of the JWF/Liberty Mutual contract, a clarifying, signed MOU for the Foster Grandparents program with consistent effective dates, a list of contracts paid from Title funds, and draft sponsorship guidelines for athletic signage and marquee postings. No formal votes were taken during the work session; the items will return on the consent, old business, or new business sections of the upcoming regular meeting for formal action.

Less critical details: trustees discussed minor agenda formatting (change "approval of library board candidate" language to "appointment of library board trustee") and asked counsel to confirm term length and oath-of-office procedures for the library appointment.

The board ended the work session after concluding questions on the reviewed agenda.