Community demands accounting after state audit as board approves Relay and FiveStar contracts

The South Bend Community School Corporation board met May 11 and faced repeated public calls for transparency and accountability following a supplemental audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts. Several speakers asked the board to delay votes on contracts with Relay Graduate School of Education until the district could provide a fuller accounting of services and outcomes. The board approved the Relay and FiveStar agreements after extended discussion.

During the public‑comment portion, Trina Robinson, who identified herself as NAACP president, urged the board to postpone action items 9.01 and 9.02 until there could be "an open and honest accounting of the services they have provided already and its effectiveness." John Paches told trustees the four contracts before them totaled more than what he had expected and asked whether board members had adequate time to review expenditures: "you are asking to approve over $465,000 in contracts," he said.

Board and staff speakers defended the contracts as investments in instructional leadership and student supports. Miss Kate Lee summarized Relay's purpose as a system for strengthening day‑to‑day instruction and building principal leadership, saying the program "poses analysis‑level questions of why our students are learning and more importantly why they are not" and aims to align district and classroom practices.

FiveStar Life founder Seth Moss described FiveStar's "innovative learning" model for students who struggle in traditional settings, telling the board pilot data show attendance rose 64% year‑to‑year and behavioral incidents fell 22% for one cohort. He said the program weaves academic standards into hands‑on courses such as blacksmithing, agriculture and equine science.

Despite public concern, the board approved the Relay professional development agreements (items 9.01 and 9.02) and the FiveStar fall and summer contracts (items 9.03 and 9.04). The meeting record shows the Relay approvals carried (reported 5–1) and the FiveStar approvals carried (reported 5–1). Board members who voted against or abstained did not provide a single unified rationale on the record; several trustees said outcome data and alignment would be monitored.

The contracts will fund a combination of building‑level principal training and optional paid teacher learning opportunities, and staff said state grant funding required district matching for a cohort of students. District staff and presenters repeatedly told the board that evaluation measures and outcome data (standardized assessment windows and pre/post measures) were being aligned with implementation timelines.

The board’s action drew mixed reaction from members of the public who had urged delay. Several speakers later returned to complaints about the audit and urged stronger oversight of expenditures; others said they supported investments that demonstrably improve students’ attendance and engagement.

The board’s next procedural step on personnel recommendations from closed session will be a vote at the May 27 meeting. For the contracts, staff said they will return outcome data and evaluations to the board as results become available.

Votes at a glance - 9.01: Approve professional services agreement with Relay Graduate School of Education for professional development — motion carried (reported 5–1). - 9.02: Approve additional Relay Graduate School of Education professional services — motion carried (reported 5–1). - 9.03: Approve FiveStar Life innovative learning program (fall 2026) — motion carried (reported 5–1). - 9.04: Approve FiveStar Life summer innovative learning (Back to School University) — motion carried (reported 5–1).

What happens next: District staff said they will provide implementation and outcome data in upcoming months, aligning Relay cycles to state assessment windows and reporting FiveStar outcomes after program cohorts complete pre/post measures.