District facilities assessment flags multiple repair needs; CFO outlines pending Title carryovers and operating shortfall
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Summary
Whiteman presented a district facility assessment identifying several buildings with high renewal needs and projected costs; CFO Leila Simmons provided a 2025 finance review showing Title grant carryovers and an operations fund shortfall that contributed to the board’s cost‑cutting measures.
At the School City of East Chicago board meeting on Jan. 27, Scott Faulk of Whiteman (architects/engineers) presented the results of a district‑wide facility condition assessment and explained the VFA methodology used to calculate Facility Condition Index (FCI) and Renewal Index (RI) scores.
Faulk said the assessment breaks work into mission‑critical levels (immediate to deferred) and produces year‑by‑year expenditure graphs and replacement‑value estimates. He cited Washington Elementary’s replacement value of $32,984,000 and said short‑term needs there amount to about 32% of replacement cost; he identified other buildings (an SCEC building, Joseph Block, Carrie Gosch) with higher long‑term RIs and recommended considering replacement when RI/FCI combinations exceed typical thresholds (roughly two‑thirds of replacement cost).
Leila Simmons, executive director of business operations, reviewed FY2025 finances. She reported the education fund opened the year near $16.1 million and closed near $16.2 million, and said the operations fund ended with an approximate $4.1 million shortfall. Simmons described multiple Title grant statuses: a Title I carryover in the mid‑$400,000 range and pending cash requests for other federal grants. She said the district maintains separate accounts for payroll and dockets and recommended providing trustees digital copies of the detailed reports.
Trustees requested digital summary sheets and line‑item breakdowns; Faulk agreed to provide digital copies of each building report and mission‑critical sheets. The administration said the facility assessment should be used to guide future capital planning and budgeting.
Representative quote: "The process gives you a picture about what expenditures you might expect in order to keep your buildings safe and sound," Faulk said during the presentation.
What board members asked for • Digital summary sheets and building‑level reports from Whiteman. • Detailed Title grant carryover documentation and any pending cash requests. • Capital plan integration showing how assessment findings would feed into multi‑year budgeting.
Provenance The facility assessment presentation and board questions are documented throughout the meeting record; the CFO’s finance review appears in the administration report and in a dedicated finance segment.