The West Lafayette Community School Corporation board voted to move forward with insurance recommendations, approved a federal E-rate internet services contract and reviewed staff-compensation proposals and the district’s fund report.

Insurance: Missus Cronk told the board that the commercial property/casualty liability, cyber and workers’ compensation lines were bid. She said market pressures, higher property valuations and recent claims history—including a water-main claim she estimated at about $280,000—have pushed renewal pricing higher. Cronk recommended continuing property liability coverage with Astra (responsive service), moving workers’ compensation to Eastern Alliance and moving cyber coverage to Tokio Marine. Cronk said the property/casualty line could see an approximate $109,000 increase in premium for 2026 while the cyber and workers’ comp changes would save roughly $15,000 combined versus 2025. The board approved moving forward with Astra (property/casualty), Eastern Alliance (workers’ comp) and Tokio Marine (cyber) while Cronk said staff will continue to search for ways to lower the bound premium before final binding.

E-rate internet: Cronk explained the federal E-rate Category 1 procurement for Internet access and WAN circuits. After a federal RFP process and consultant review, the district’s incumbent (WinTec) won the contract to continue 5 Gbps service for 60 months. After the E-rate 50% discount, the district’s monthly cost will be $2,025. The contract was reviewed by legal and approved by motion.

Staff raises: Superintendent Dr. Griner recommended a $30-per-day increase for eligible classified staff beginning on 01/20/2026 contingent on working at least 120 days for the prior year and receiving an ‘‘effective’’ or ‘‘highly effective’’ evaluation. Administrator raises were proposed to mirror increases in the master teacher contract; the administration explained the calculation method (using steps on the teacher salary scale divided by contract days) and said details will vary by administrator because of different contracts and days worked. A motion was made to approve the classified and administrator raises; the board held discussion before proceeding with a vote.

Finance report: Missus Cronk reported claims for Nov. 5 through Dec. 3 totaled $3,904,553 (including Wabash Valley Education Center expenses). Of that, $2,548,137 was for wages, salaries and benefits. Cronk included the final fund report for October in the board packet and told the board total cash on hand across all funds was $26,457,962 with the education fund carrying $7,378,184 in cash balance.

Votes at a glance
- Insurance renewals and carrier recommendations: approved to move forward with recommended carriers (Astra, Eastern Alliance, Tokio Marine); discussion about pending premium binding and continued negotiations.
- E-rate Internet contract (WinTec): approved; monthly post-discount cost $2,025 for 5 Gbps.
- Classified and administrator raises: motion introduced and discussed; action recorded in meeting (vote and implementation details handled per board action).

What to watch next
Cronk will continue negotiating property-casualty premium before binding and will return with final premium figures, and the finance office will report implementation details for the approved raises and any budget impacts.