Northwest Indiana Lighthouse Charter Schools
Minutes
25-26SY NWILCS April Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday May 4, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Location
NWILCS Admin Building
1755 W 41st St.
Gary, IN 46408
Directors Present
A. Brown Thirston, A. Nicholson, J. GEORGE, J. Parks, S. Caruthers
Directors Absent
A. Briggs, E. Little
Guests Present
D. Jones (remote), J. Beasley, K. McGuire, L. Franklin, R. Mayberry, S. Breitenbach
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes - March
March meeting minutes are carried over to June's meeting.
II. Finance
A.
East Chicago and Gary Financials
See attached financial reports.
The district remains in good standing.
The financial audit is complete, see completed report.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Briggs |
Absent
|
| E. Little |
Absent
|
| S. Caruthers |
Aye
|
| A. Nicholson |
Aye
|
| J. GEORGE |
Aye
|
| A. Brown Thirston |
Aye
|
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Briggs |
Absent
|
| J. GEORGE |
Aye
|
| E. Little |
Absent
|
| A. Nicholson |
Aye
|
| A. Brown Thirston |
Aye
|
| S. Caruthers |
Aye
|
B.
Final Vote: 26-27SY Budget
Remainder of budget presented for approval.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| E. Little |
Absent
|
| S. Caruthers |
Aye
|
| A. Nicholson |
Aye
|
| A. Briggs |
Absent
|
| J. Parks |
Aye
|
| J. GEORGE |
Aye
|
C.
Primary Project Update
See attached report.
The Whiteman company is requesting an increase of $50,000 due to the size of the project. Ongoing discussions regarding the request between the district and Whiteman.
The project is slated to begin in August.
III. Committee Reports
A.
Governance
B.
Academic Excellence Report
See report from Mrs.McGuire
Mrs. McGuire-
-Graduation rate increased to 92% of senior student population.
-29 million in scholarships received by students.
--High school graduation is May 27
-Upper campus graduation is May 28
IV. NWILCS District Reports
A.
District Level Reports
Please see the attached reports.
Mrs. Beasley:
-The District FY "27 calendar is brought back up for discussion. The calendar needs to reflect make-up days per state mandate.
- Wired contract was reviewed for a three-year renewal.
Mrs. Franklin:
- Staff retention is the focus for the remainder of the school year. Hiring staff for the fall is going as needed.
-Facility upgrades are underway.
-CPI training is in place.
-Leadership seminar/ICIC training
Mr. Mayberry:
-Process to maintain student files is underway.
-enrollment application are still coming in.
-partnership with Shine Recovery Cafe has come to fruition/ students with substance abuse challenges will be referred.
- second parent advisory board meeting is being scheduled.
-5/22 district family night at the Railcat Stadium.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Brown Thirston |
Aye
|
| E. Little |
Absent
|
| A. Briggs |
Absent
|
| S. Caruthers |
Aye
|
| A. Nicholson |
Aye
|
| J. GEORGE |
Aye
|
| J. Parks |
Aye
|
V. Closing Items
A.
Public Comments
No public comments.
B.
Executive Session
C.
Adjourn Meeting
- 2026_03_23_board_meeting_minutes.pdf
- EC Board Report 2025 2026 March .docx.pdf
- March AprilGLCS Primary Campus Board Report-March.docx (1).pdf
- UPPER BOARD REPORT 25 26 - MARCH_APRIL.docx (1).pdf
- GLCP April Board Report-2026.docx.pdf
- 3rd Quarter 2026 Financial Statements.xlsx
- March 2026 Financial Summary.docx
- March 2026 Financial Statements.xlsx
- March_2026_Final Financial_Summary Graphs (2).docx
- FY27NWILCS (FR- BOARD) DRAFT Budget (1).pdf
- NWILCS 2026 - 2027 District Calendar (4).pdf
- NWILCS - Wired Intuition 1 Year (1).pdf
- NWILCS - Wired Intuition - 3 Year (1).pdf
- April SY2526 Operations Board Report .docx.pdf
- April Executive Director Report 25-26.pdf
- April SY2526 EandCR Board Report .docx.pdf
The agenda is amended to move items that need to be voted upon to the top of the agenda.