Board approves Coats partnership to boost FAFSA and scholarship support after debate over use of outside consultants

The School City of East Chicago Board of Trustees approved a contract with Coats to provide in-school assistance aimed at increasing FAFSA completion and scholarship applications for high school and middle school students.

Superintendent Dr. Bourne presented the Coats partnership as a district recommendation to supplement school counselors’ work on senior-year applications and FAFSA completion. He said the program would provide workshops and on-site help, noting that much of the Coats work “will come towards the end of the school year regarding our seniors’ applications as well as FAFSA completion.”

Several trustees pushed back during the discussion, asking why the district engaged consultants from outside Indiana rather than local providers. One trustee said she was “against” paying outside consultants who, she said, would “make money off of the backs of the people of East Chicago” and urged the board to seek in-state assistance and clarify procurement choices.

Trustees also pressed for accountability. Multiple trustees requested periodic reports; the superintendent and a Coats representative said the organization would provide monthly reports and that much of the direct support occurs onsite at Block and Central schools. A Coats representative described the group’s in-school model and said it produces monthly progress reports.

Public commenters, including alumni and local volunteers, urged the board to approve additional student supports. One resident said local students had missed scholarship opportunities because they lacked completed applications and personal statements.

Procedurally, the item was discussed at length and was at one point the subject of a motion to table; after questions and assurances about reporting and local coordination, the board approved the contract and moved it to the consent/approval portion of the meeting.

The board’s approval directs district staff to finalize the Coats agreement and collect quarterly or monthly progress updates as promised by the contractor. The superintendent said he would oversee insertion of the contract reporting into the district’s administrative reports so the community could access performance information.

Next steps: the district will implement the Coats program at identified middle and high school sites and provide regular progress reports to the board.