Lake Station board approves personnel hires, HEA 1210 budget adjustment and food-service contracts

Superintendent Pippa opened Thursday’s regular Lake Station Community Schools board meeting and recommended approval of the consent agenda and several personnel and budget items.

The board unanimously approved the consent agenda and then voted to hire three employees recommended by the superintendent. The board approved hiring Morgan Lindstock as the junior high math teacher at Edison Junior Senior High School, Heather Ganske as a school counselor at Edison, and Melody Forsyth as director of child nutrition services, all effective for the 2627 school year. A board member moved each hire and another board member seconded; the board recorded aye votes when roll was taken.

Mrs. Weizenette, a district staff member, explained a separate budget item tied to House Enrolled Act 1210. She said HEA 1210 creates an additional homestead credit that produces an "additional circuit breaker loss" to school districts and that the resolution before the board would allow the district to distribute that loss "between two different funds, the operations fund and the debt service fund," rather than charging only the operations fund. The board approved Resolution 26-27-1 to permit those transfers.

The board also approved annual food-service contracts for the 2627 school year with vendors including Gordon Foodservice, Prairie Farms, Alpha Bakery, Commercial Food Systems and Smart Systems. In related business, the board approved consumable materials and supply fees for all schools for 2627; a board member said the elementary-level fees are expected to be small, estimating "I think $20 for the for the year for the fees." The board moved and seconded each item and approved them by voice vote.

The board additionally approved revised board policies (Volume 38, No. 2) and a set of handbook changes reflecting new Indiana law on student cellphones. Superintendent Pippa said the law requires students to have phones secured from the beginning to the end of the school day; she said "they are to be in their lockers for Edison" and in cubbies at elementary schools, and noted there may be exceptions for students with IEPs or documented medical needs.

All formal motions noted above were moved and seconded by board members and passed on the record during the meeting. The superintendent said the policies related to artificial intelligence presented for a first reading will return for action at the board’s August meeting. The board set its next regular meeting for Thursday, Aug. 20, at Edison Junior Senior High School at 6:30 p.m.