The Valparaiso City Council has opened the application process for appointing a new member to the Valparaiso School Board.
“I’ve got exciting news in that school board applications are now available online as of March 11,” said Valparaiso City Council Member Emilie Hunt, D-At-large, who serves as the council liaison for Valparaiso schools.
“There’s a member whose term is expiring and the school board currently includes two appointees who are considered Republicans and two appointees who are considered Democrats. So for the 2025 school board appointment process, applicants can be either political party affiliation.”
The application is available at: https://www.ci.valparaiso.in.us/978/School-Board-Member-Appointment-Process
Applications are due by noon on April 14, and interviewing will begin in May.
“It should also be noted that there is also a township-appointed seat which is also open to be filled since that member’s term is also ending,” Hunt said.
School board township appointed member Erika Robinson-Watkins, whose term is ending, was selected in May 2021 from nearly a dozen applications and appointed by the Center Township Advisory Board.
“There have been women as members on the Valparaiso School Board for decades, but this board has not had diversity, and I’m happy to say I’m a diverse first for this dedicated group,” said Robinson-Watkins, after her appointment almost four years ago.
“Valparaiso has seen many changes in just the 10 years I’ve lived here with my husband and children, and that change continues every day.”
The term of school board member and current president, Valparaiso dentist Dr. Robert Behrend is also ending, which is the resulting need for a new appointment. He was appointed by the city council.
Both Watkins and Behrend generated media and public attention earlier this year after they addressed the Valparaiso City Council during the public comments portion of the Jan. 27 meeting.
The two participated in a verbal tug-of-war of accusations about whether Behrend, who said “the Democrats were coming after him,” had moved to Wisconsin and therefore was not eligible for school board duties.
Watson said then she’s been portrayed as finger-pointing and reactive about not ascending to the usual rotated title and duties of school board president, since the school board opted to give Behrend two consecutive terms as president.
Behrend told the city council at the Jan. 27 meeting his pay stipend equates to $62 per school board meeting.
Applicants for the city council’s Valparaiso School Board seat must be at least 21 years old and live within Valparaiso city limits, with state statute requiring that the Valparaiso School Board have at least one member from each political party. “Party affiliation” is determined by the last primary in which the applicant voted. The term of appointment for the new member is four years.
From noon April 14 to 25, the public can submit interview questions via the city hall website.
If four or fewer applications are received, all applicants will be interviewed. If more than four applications are received, the city council can meet in executive session to narrow the pool to only four applicants to be interviewed.
On April 26, applicants will be notified of their May 5 first-round interview time, and selected public-generated questions will be sent to applicants and all city council members before the 6 p.m. May 5 panel interviews at Valparaiso City Hall.
For the second round of interviews, at 6 p.m. May 19 at Valparaiso City Hall, all applicants will receive the same questions in advance. Each of the interviews will be 25 minutes, with council members also allowed to ask one follow-up question if time permits. The council president and vice president have the first opportunity.
Valparaiso City Attorney Patrick Lyp will moderate.
After a 10-minute recess following the second round of interviews, council members will reconvene to appoint a school board member.
After Lyp counts the ballots, if there is a majority vote for one candidate, that person is nominated and seconded, with discussion following about the merits of the candidate. Following discussion, a vote will be taken and the selection made.
If there is no majority vote for the candidate, according to the guiding procedure, a council member can then make a motion to consider two candidates. After discussion, a motion to select one candidate will be made and seconded with additional discussion followed by a final vote.
For the Center Township Trustee appointment, Trustee Jesse Harper, Board Chair Elizabeth Gingerich, Secretary Debra Fray and member Dr. Stephen Buck are accepting applications from individuals who are 21 years old and reside within the physical boundaries of Center Township in Porter County.
Individuals applying may submit written information either by mail or personally to the Center Township Trustees Office at 202 Roosevelt Road, Valparaiso, Ind. 46383 through Monday, April 14. The Trustee’s office is open 8 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Applications can be found at www.centertownshiptrustee.net or picked up from the Trustee’s office. Interested individuals can also email jesse@centertownshiptrustee.net to request an application.
The Center Township Board will convene at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 12, at the Trustee Office in executive session to select a minimum of three applicants. At 6 p.m. Monday, May 19, in the Porter County Commissioners Chambers in the County Administration Building at 155 Indiana Ave. in Valparaiso, there will be a public meeting to interview and choose an appointment.
For more information call 219-462-0810 or go to https://centertownshiptrustee.net/board-appointment-2025/
Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
