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Lake Station board approves personnel slate and accepts superintendent's retirement
Summary
At its June meeting, the Lake Station School Board approved multiple hires and personnel changes, accepted the superintendent's retirement agreement and heard tributes to his 12 years of service; votes on routine items were unanimous or near-unanimous.
The Lake Station School Board on June 15 approved a series of personnel actions, including resignations, hires and a termination, and accepted the superintendent's retirement agreement, concluding the superintendent's 12-year tenure.
Board members approved the consent agenda, which included several small donations to district schools: $118 from American Income Life Insurance Company, $45 from the Lake County Public Library and $124 from the Child Safe Kit Program to Bailey Elementary, and $12.20 from Casey's General Store to Hamilton School. The consent agenda passed on a board vote recorded as four "Aye" votes.
The board accepted the resignation of Rudy Chavez, an Edison teacher, effective May 11, 2026, and the resignation of Madeline Strolf, Hamilton kindergarten teacher, effective June 4, 2026. Superintendent Dr. Krippelover clarified that Strolf is leaving the kindergarten role but remaining with the district in a different capacity through the Northern Indiana Special Education Cooperative (NICEC), not departing the district entirely.
The board approved the hire of Aaron Nolan Higgins as principal at Bailey Elementary School for the 2026-27 school year. A board member welcomed Higgins and the motion passed unanimously.
The board also approved terminating Dennis Reese, night custodian at Edison Junior-Senior High School, effective May 14, 2026. That motion passed with three recorded "Aye" votes and one abstention.
A slate of additional hires for 2026-27 was approved, including Jennifer Newburg (third grade, Hamilton), Hannah Hendrick (second grade, Hamilton), Savarni Norman (second grade, Hamilton), Alexis March (kindergarten, Hamilton), Jenna Spruce (third grade, Bailey), Allison Pader (elementary counselor), Lexis Giggy (middle school science) and Kurt O'Brien (superintendent's secretary).
The board voted to accept the superintendent's retirement agreement. During the meeting, several board members and colleagues offered tributes to the superintendent, noting his long service with the district and thanking him for mentoring board members and staff. "None of those accomplishments, none of those things would have been possible without the support and the help of this school board and Christine Pippa," the superintendent said, thanking the board and staff.
An open-house reception to honor the superintendent was announced for June 24 at City Hall from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The board adjourned after announcing its next regular meeting on July 15, 2026, at Edison Junior Senior High School at 6:30 p.m.
