Former Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent Jim McCall no longer has a consulting contract with the district.
The School Board voted recently to cancel the contract, in which McCall was paid $3,000 a month, as needed, to advise new Superintendent Brian Smith.
“The approval of the consultancy agreement was designed to be as needed during the transitional period, and as soon as Dr. Smith felt like he had a handle on things, the transition went smoothly. He’s let us know that’s where we’re at,” board member John Peluso said during the Aug. 27 meeting.
Last month, the board agreed to put that contract on the agenda to either amend or cancel the contract after a community outcry.
“It’ll admit Dr. Smith has really blown me over these last two weeks and really shown what he’s capable of,” board President Erika Watkins said.
Board member Kaye Frataccia-Seibert, who led the push to cancel or amend McCall’s contract, said she has been impressed by Smith’s work so far.
“Dr. Smith had trial by fire starting this school year within the first month and has sailed through with flying colors and made really great decisions on his own. But he also has a great team that he can go to for help when needed,” she said.
Smith’s short tenure in Valparaiso so far includes dealing with the aftermath of the Aug. 11 derecho that caused the start of school to be delayed four days for most students and five days for Northview Elementary School students.
Smith hopes the state will grant a waiver so students and teachers won’t have to make up the missed days. Schools in some other Northwest Indiana communities, including Gary and Portage, likely won’t be as lucky, having missed more days than that because of longer power outages, Smith said.
“Going to school in June doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said, because that’s after a lot of the testing is already completed. “There’s not a whole lot that gets accomplished in June.”
Chief Financial Officer Jim Holifield presented the board a proposed $106.1 million budget for 2027, a 1.6% increase over this year’s $104.5 million budget.
Because the board members are appointed, not elected, the budget will be presented to the Valparaiso City Council for review on Sept. 28, with a vote expected Oct. 12.
The board also voted to waive transfer tuition fees for employees’ children and for students who live outside the district but attended a private school in the district previously.
With the state paying $7,432 per student, the district will receive more than $921,000 from the state for 124 students currently enrolled. If those students didn’t attend Valparaiso public schools, the district would still incur most of the cost without getting the extra $921,000, Holifield said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.