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School Town of Munster board approves rates, contracts and benefit packages in unanimous votes
Summary
At its July 13 meeting the School Town of Munster board unanimously approved 13 action items including pre‑K tuition and meal price increases, a food‑service contract, multiple fringe‑benefit schedules, calendar approvals and project procurements; all motions passed 4–0.
The School Town of Munster Board of School Trustees on July 13 approved a slate of routine rates, contracts and staff benefit packages in a series of unanimous 4–0 votes.
The board approved the 2026–27 pre‑K tuition rate (action 4.1), a modest increase administrators said roughly tracked consumer‑price changes to help cover rising program costs. Castro moved for approval; Dempsey seconded. The motion passed 4–0.
The board approved continuation of a food‑service arrangement with Saint Paul’s for lunch service for 2026–27 (action 4.2). Director of Operations Sean Begley said the new contract removes a minimum‑meals guarantee but includes monthly reviews and an option to terminate if the arrangement is not sustainable. Castro moved and Dempsey seconded; the vote was 4–0.
Administrators also won approval for a la carte prices (action 4.3) and a $0.10 increase to meal prices (action 4.4) for 2026–27; administration said the 10¢ increase is smaller than the year‑over‑year rise in per‑meal cost and helps maintain a cash balance for equipment replacement.
The board authorized rejecting all bids for Project 2025‑026 (central office/multipurpose building) so design changes can be made and the work rebid (action 4.5). Administration said switching from a metal building to precast concrete should provide a longer service life and better value.
The board approved retaining Button, Bomb & Moore of Noblesville to replace pool UV lamps and controls (Project 2026‑0402) for $102,730 (action 4.6). Mr. Begley explained the existing system, installed in 2010, is at end of service life and that “replacement parts are no longer being manufactured and [the] operator control screens are becoming unreadable,” leaving the district unable to reliably monitor the system.
A series of fringe‑benefit proposals covering administrative, executive professional, professional staff, transportation, classified and food‑service staff (actions 4.7–4.12) were each approved. Assistant Superintendent Trippenfeldis told the board the changes were largely housekeeping—rearranging where technology system‑security language appears and adjusting vacation‑use windows and severance calculations—adding that the benefits themselves did not change in the administrative package: “No benefit changed.”
The board approved the 2026–27 district calendar (action 4.13), opting to use the district’s performance‑qualified status to convert several half‑day professional‑development sessions into full‑day PDs. The board also approved the 2027–28 calendar with full‑day PDs.
All motions were seconded as noted in the meeting record and carried by recorded voice vote (4–0). Several items were discussed at a high level and administrators said staff would provide deeper financial detail at future work sessions (food service and related finances). The meeting adjourned after routine board updates.
