Crown Point Community School Corporation
Board Meeting Summary: September 28, 2026, 6:00 p.m.

Board of School Trustees Resolutions of Commendation Awards

• 2025–2026 CPHS VEX Robotics Team 1233J: Recognized as 2026 Indiana State VEX V5RC High School Robotics Champions and winners of the Amaze Award at the 2026 Indiana Robotics State Championship. Students recognized: Landon Leibengood, Brayden Harty, Noah Nicholls, John Heiligstedt, and Carter Courtright. Coach Matt LeBlanc and Assistant Coach Benjamin Baker were also recognized. Coach LeBlanc noted the team had never before brought home a banner and praised their work ethic and their decision to build an original robot design rather than follow the "meta."

• 2025–2026 CPHS Latin Club: Recognized for winning 1st place for Miscellaneous Publicity, 2nd place for Overall Club of the Month, 4th place for Traditional Scrapbook, 5th place for Social Media Contest, 6th place in the Local Publications Contest, and several individual awards at the 2026 National Junior Classical League Convention. Sponsor Jeremy Walker noted 13 students attended the convention, hosted at Indiana University Bloomington. Students recognized: Zofia Barick, Jillian Boren, Lola Coil, Annie Jacobi, Addison Kerkes, June Kilarski, Ishy Singh, Rogan Teller, and Luke Waldschmidt.

Public Hearing: 2027 Budget and Referendum

The Board suspended the regular meeting to open the public hearing. Dr. Terrill and CFO Matt Ruess presented the referendum and the 2027 budget. 

Why funding is needed

• Below-average state funding. The district receives $7,216 per pupil in the education fund, ranking 342nd of 376 corporations and about $500 below the state average. Reaching the average would mean roughly $4.6 million more.
• Operations fund gap. The district generates about $1,082 per pupil for operations, compared with a state average of about $1,900. Reaching the average would mean roughly $7.3 million more. Together, the two gaps total about $11.9 million.
• State funding has not kept pace with inflation. Since the 2009 state funding cut, per-pupil support has grown 38.5% while inflation has been 56.4%. Keeping pace would require $8,152 per student, an $8.6 million shortfall. Much of the 2025–26 increase reflected curricular materials the state moved into the formula, so the real increase was about 1.8%.
• $7.3 million in cuts already made last year. About $2.1 million came from the state taking over curricular materials funding, which eliminated textbook rental revenue. More than $5 million came from a special education operating loss. Special education enrollment has grown over 34% in five years while overall enrollment grew less than 0.5%.
• Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1). Property tax revenue losses were about $2 million in 2025 and nearly $4 million in 2026, and are projected to reach nearly $5 million by 2029. That year Lake County must end its property tax replacement credit, and schools, unlike other local governments, cannot raise income taxes to replace the lost revenue. The referendum is the district's only way to make up the loss.
• Rising operating costs. Utilities are up 16% this year and transportation costs are up 9.3%. The district runs 80 buses and about 1 million miles a year, and 7,600 students live outside the walk zone. Property tax revenue to the operations fund is about $9.7 million, while transportation, utilities, and buses alone cost about $10 million.

What the referendum is

• The referendum replaces the 2025 referendum (18 cents) and is not stacked on top of it. It covers eight years, with a rate not to exceed 38.7 cents and a maximum annual amount of $19,750,000.
• New this year, student transportation is included in the ballot language, alongside the items funded by the 2011 and 2018 referendums. These are competitive teacher pay, class-size teachers, creative arts, non-athletic extracurricular stipends, nurses, school resource officers, safety software, and traffic control.
• The district emphasized that it is not requesting funds for new programs or positions, only to maintain current offerings.
• Impact on taxpayers. The ballot language must use a median home value rounded up to $350,000, which shows a $648 annual increase. For the actual median home of $317,000, the district calculated the referendum portion at $274 per year at 18 cents versus $580 at the higher rate, a difference of $306. Because SEA 1 deductions keep shrinking net assessed value, the district projects the actual tax bill change for the median home at a $7 increase in 2027 and a $265 decrease in 2028.
• Why not ask for more in 2024–25. The 2025 question had to be submitted before the December 31 deadline, before the effects of SEA 1 were known. At the Board's request, the rate was also reduced from 21 cents to 18 cents. State law now limits referendums to every other general election and lasting eight years if approved.

What happens if the referendum does not pass

• Operations fund: a 10% reduction. Utilities, insurance, and fuel cannot be controlled, so cuts would fall heavily on transportation.
• Education fund: the transfer to operations would increase from 7.5% to the state maximum of 15%, resulting in a reduction of an estimated 50–60 certified positions, including teachers and administrators.
• Referendum fund: a 10% reduction, or an estimated 10–15 positions.
• These are first-year estimates. Additional cuts would follow each year as SEA 1 losses grow through 2029.

2027 Budget

• The advertised maximum budget across the four funds (education, operations, referendum, and debt service) is $140,789,316. Mr. Ruess noted advertised budgets are maximums, and the figure will likely come down after review by the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF).
• Actual 2025 spending across the four funds was nearly $145 million, so the proposed budget is more than $4 million lower. If the referendum fails, the district must return with a further reduced budget.

Patrons' Comments

• A community member spoke about the 18–22 program's relocation back to the high school building. 

Action Items

6.01 Out-of-Country Field Trip to Spain

• Mrs. Ramirez requested approval for a CPHS trip to Spain, June 19–29, 2028. Locations include Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Costa del Sol, Seville, Córdoba, and Madrid. Families pay for the trip themselves, not the district.

6.02 Gifted and Talented Education Program High Ability Grant

• Mrs. Smith requested approval to apply for and receive $94,545.25 from IDOE. About $11,871.66 must go toward the CogAT and SIGS identification assessments, and the remainder supports a portion of the salaries, benefits, and professional learning for one High Ability teacher and one High Ability interventionist. Funding is roughly level with prior years. 

6.03 K–12 Robotics Competition Grant

• Mrs. Smith requested approval to apply for and receive $100,000 from IDOE for kits, supplies, and registration fees for robotics programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The grant is competitive: 102 of 167 applicant schools were awarded. 

6.04 Secured School Safety Grant FY27

• Assistant Superintendent Mark Gianfermi requested approval to accept $86,000 from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the highest amount awarded to any school corporation. The grant funds salary and benefits for a school resource officer. It requires a 100% match, which the district will meet with funds from its SRO program. 

Information/Recognition Items

• Assistant Superintendent Mr. Gianfermi shared that among the largest corporations (at least 4,000 students tested in grades 3–8), Crown Point placed 4th in math proficiency, 5th in combined ELA and math, and 6th in ELA on the newly released spring 2026 ILEARN results. A more detailed data packet will go to the Board around the nine-week mark.
• Director of Elementary Education Dr. Ciochina reported that students outperformed the state in ELA and math at every tested grade, with math proficiency at least 20 points above the state at every grade level. Families received instructions last Friday to access student score reports through the state's family portal. He also noted updates to elementary MTSS processes and the rollout of a new state-required K–2 math screener.
• Director of Secondary Education Mrs. Ramirez reported that multilingual learners scored 10.7 points above the state in ELA and 17.6 points above in math. Among large districts with similar economic demographics, Crown Point ranks 1st in math. She also thanked the Chamber of Commerce and the Taft and Wheeler teams for a career discovery day that brought local businesses and trades to eighth graders, including students from other area schools.
• Director of Exceptional Education Mrs. Paskis reported that students receiving special education services scored 10.6 points above the state in ELA and 15.6 in math, and that special education's combined pass rate was fifth highest in the state. Economically disadvantaged students scored 21.5 points above in ELA and 24.1 in math. She also highlighted a new "Core Word of the Week" initiative from speech-language pathologists and applied skills teachers to support communication and literacy for non-verbal students.
• Chief Human Resource Officer Mr. Equihua shared that administrators are conducting check-ins with new teachers before fall break, covering curriculum, learning environments, and work-life balance.
• Director of Communications Mrs. Allen thanked Dr. Janna Carney and highlighted this year's upcoming One District, One Book program, for which the communications team provided marketing resources and recorded all 22 chapters so students can read along or listen at home. The book will be announced in November.
• Superintendent of Schools Dr. Terrill thanked staff, families, and community members who have supported the referendum effort, including donations to the district's PAC from CPEA and the Indiana State Teachers Association. He also gave an update on making up the seven school days missed after the August 11 storm. Under the IDOE waiver policy, the district must make up six days. Because the district's instructional days run longer than state minimums, it is making up the time by using the extra minutes rather than adding calendar days. Full make-up is projected in 26 days at the elementary level, about 51.5 days at the middle school level, and 67.5 days at the high school level. Two e-learning days were converted to in-person days, which does not change the six-day total. E-learning days will also remain available for winter weather.

Other Business of the Board

Board members confirmed logistics for the upcoming ISBA conference.

Board Statements of Appreciation and Recognition

• Mr. Angel thanked students for the strong homecoming football game atmosphere, including the band and student section.
• Board members praised the ILEARN results as the product of years of sustained work by administrators, teachers, students, and the community. They highlighted the value of extracurricular participation, thanked the administration for the referendum presentation, acknowledged the public commenter, and asked community members to support the referendum.