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MSD Pike Township board to seek MGT contract using $50,000 in leftover Lilly Endowment funds to support two middle schools
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Summary
Board members discussed a plan to use $50,000 in unspent Lilly Endowment Phase 2 grant funds to contract MGT Education Solutions for targeted middle‑school work at Lincoln and Guyon, pressing presenters on timelines, benchmarks and the risk that unspent funds will be forfeited at year end.
MSD Pike Township school board members discussed using $50,000 in unspent Lilly Endowment Phase 2 grant funds to hire MGT Education Solutions to deliver short‑term supports at two district middle schools.
Cindy Huffman, program manager for the Lilly Endowment Phase 2 grant, told the board the district has “unused dollars” available and confirmed the amount earmarked for the MGT engagement is $50,000. “That's correct. We have unused dollars. $50,000,” Huffman said.
Huffman and district leadership said the Phase 2 grant is five years in duration and that the district reviews spending annually; they also said the unspent funds resulted in part from difficulties hiring tutors earlier in the grant period. Board members asked how MGT would adapt programming usually delivered over one to three years to the district's compressed schedule and requested concrete benchmarks for the coming 30 days.
Doctor Leticia Allen, senior vice president at MGT Education Solutions, was introduced as the presenter who would detail MGT's services and how the vendor adjusts programming for shorter engagements. Board members pressed for both short‑term deliverables and how the district will measure impact beyond percentages, asking to see absolute counts of students affected rather than only percentage changes.
A board member asked whether leftover Lilly funds roll over if not spent by the end of the school year. Huffman replied that, for this year, the funds would be forfeited if unspent. “We would for this year,” she said.
Board members also asked why only two of the district's three middle schools were included in the proposal; district staff said principals were offered the opportunity and the two schools that opted in are Lincoln and Guyon. “Those would be Lincoln and Guyon,” Doctor Young said when asked which schools would participate. Staff agreed to share follow‑up meeting dates with the board once they are finalized.
Presenters noted that MGT had been vetted by state processes in earlier work and that MGT assisted in a prior NextGen grant application to the Indiana Department of Education that was not awarded. Board members requested clearer numerical reporting and specific, short‑term benchmarks before the board acts; staff said the board would be asked to approve the contract at the upcoming board meeting.
The work session concluded with thanks to the presenters and a move to an executive session to address other district business.
